


Raising Naruto, A Reluctant Love Story

by PastaAfterDark



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-11
Updated: 2018-06-13
Packaged: 2019-01-15 23:22:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 28
Words: 57,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12330894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PastaAfterDark/pseuds/PastaAfterDark
Summary: Tears glisten in Kushina’s eyes as she tries to smile at him, "Take care of him for me, Kakashi."Or: Kakashi avoids getting put behind the shields with all of the other baby jounin, manages to see Minato and Kushina one last time on the night of the Nine-Tails attacks, and ends up taking on the mission of raising Naruto. Along with his inescapable Eternal Rival, of course.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first publicly posted fanfic!!! The chapters will be short as I get the hang of writing, but there are a few waiting in the wings already, and I will be updating weekly. <3 Thank you for your support!

Some older jounin are rounding up the younger ones, but Kakashi’s sensei is still out there somewhere, probably in the heart of the battle. Kakashi’s not about to be left out of this one, and amid the chaos, he avoids detection. He’s spent too many long months guarding Kushina, in preparation for this very night to arrive. He curses inwardly at the idea that he couldn’t be there, with her and Minato for the birth of their child, and wonders what could’ve possibly gone wrong to cause this. Either way, he’s not about to be shepherded away like an Academy student to be protected while other people fight the battle for the village.

The Nine-Tails screams in the distance, and Gai is scrambling behind him, keeping up with Kakashi’s frantic pace only by the merit of his ridiculous exercise regimen. “Please wait, my eternal rival,” he yells, but Kakashi doesn’t have time. That demon should be sealed into Kushina still, and since it's not, there's something terribly wrong. If Gai wants to follow him, he’s not going to stop him, but he’s also not going to wait up for him either. They run carelessly across the rooftops - Kakashi’s mask protects him from the smoke but shards of debris fly at them, stinging exposed skin when he can’t dodge it. He barely tries to, single-mindedly going towards the beast. That’s where his sensei will be, after all.

There are members of the Uchiha clan everywhere closer to bulk of the destruction, many with critical injuries. Kakashi pushes through them, going so far as to jump over bodies as he must. He somehow makes it to the front line, Gai at his heels, frantically throwing himself at the barrier Minato has placed around the main event. At the border of the barrier, Uchiha Mikoto is kneeling on the ground next to her husband, blood covering her clothes. She’s crying, “We couldn’t do anything.” 

It’s too slow, not enough. Kakashi slams his fists against the barrier, helpless, and when it finally opens, when Minato finally falls, he rushes forward, pushing the Professor out of the way even to get to Minato and Kushina first, tears streaming down his face.

He can feel every heartbeat in every second, every gasping breath he takes behind his mask. People are yelling all around him, someone’s grabbing at his flak jacket, but Kushina smiles at him, blood smeared along her mouth, and she holds out the child. So small and red, just a little tuft of hair and a dark black seal, a vivid brand against his young skin. He doesn’t see Minato at all now. The world is blurring, everything is focused onto this moment, onto Kushina and the child in her hands. 

"Kakashi," she says, and he holds out his hands to accept the small bundle. 

"Kushina," he replies, choking on the word, everything unsaid, all of the months spent outside her window, following her. He barely registers another jounin steadying her, checking her pulse, calling for a medic ninja. Gai at his side, touching his elbow. The baby moves a little, and he looks down - there are scars across the child’s face like whisker marks and he feels something tear through his gut at the sight of them.

Tears glisten in Kushina’s eyes as she tries to smile at him, "Take care of him for me, Kakashi." She reaches out a hand again and Kakashi lets her pull him close, the child pressed between them, so warm and so small. "I know what you did, how you protected us," she whispers in his ear. And then, "His name is Naruto. Like the character in Jiraiya-sensei's book, you know?" 

Her eyes close, hand falling from his shoulder, body relaxing back into the jounin who's holding her. The Professor is there, too, pressing a hand against her shoulder, trying to wake her. "Kushina," Kakashi says again, but she doesn't reply. He reaches out his own hand to brush her hair out of her face, but she’s so, so pale. The air catches in his throat. Sarutobi meets eyes with Kakashi, then, a heavy grief already settling between them. "Get the child out of here," he says, "Go to Minato's apartment. Protect the child at all costs."

"His name is Naruto," Kakashi says, steel in his voice, and Sarutobi gives him a long, knowing look, but Kakashi can hold his own against that gaze. 

"Alright, protect Naruto at all costs then," Sarutobi says, resignation coloring his voice. And then time speeds up again, too quickly, and everything's a blur of activity. Gai is beside him though, still somehow, through all of that, and Kakashi realizes Gai has been there the whole time, eyes wide at the sight of the child in his arms. Gai reaches out a hand to place on Naruto’s stomach, and Kakashi’s vision narrows to the vivid lines of the seal under Gai’s palm. That’s where it is now then. The Nine-Tails. He stares at the seal for a moment too long before shaking himself and pulling Naruto closer, cradling him in his flak jacket as best as he can.

"Let's go," Kakashi says, and Gai nods, accepting the unspoken mission as a joint one between the two of them. 

\---

Minato-sensei’s house is dark and weirdly empty when they arrive. Gai holds onto a screaming Naruto, as Kakashi releases all of the traps. This part of the village survived the Nine-Tails attack, but most of the residents evacuated already, and the building feels abandoned. Kakashi tries the lightswitch, surprised to find the electricity working, and the bright light blinds him. Even lit up, the absence of Minato or Kushina is startling. He’s never been here without one or the other of them around. He stands in the middle of the room, at a loss for what to do next. Gai brushes past him, bumping him with an elbow. 

“Let’s get this little guy cleaned up and check for injuries,” Gai says, voice firm and commanding, and Kakashi nods numbly, but his feet can’t move from this spot. The wheels are spinning in his mind now. He sees blood on his hands. The old blood and new blood. He realizes belatedly that he knows nothing about babies, or children in general. He sees Kushina’s smile, but blurred. His mask feels damp and confining suddenly, and he pulls it down, breathing in huge gasps of air. Gai says nothing further, taking Naruto into the other room, and Kakashi is thankful as he falls to his knees, unable to stand any longer. His father. His entire team. Obito. Rin. Minato-sensei… even Kushina. All gone now.

He doesn’t know how much time passes but his legs are numb when a warm bundle is pressed into his hands. He looks down, confused, at a sleeping baby wearing a frog night cap. At Naruto, he thinks, remembering, being pulled back into the present by this new life.

“How did you…?” He asks, voice hoarse, but Gai shushes him shaking his head. Kakashi just stares at the child in his arms, then. His sensei’s legacy. Kushina’s dying wish. The Nine-Tails impossibly sealed away in this tiny body. Minato’s last mission for Kakashi was to protect Kushina before Naruto’s birth, and Kushina’s new mission for Kakashi is Naruto himself. With everything he has, he is going to get this one right. Tears slide down Kakashi’s face, and he looks up to see Gai crying, too. Gai presses his hand against Kakashi’s shoulder, and Kakashi feels relieved that he’s not here alone tonight.


	2. Chapter 2

Dawn light streaks through the windows of Minato and Kushina’s guest room, and Gai’s eyes dart open. He’s conditioned himself to wake up with the sun, ready to begin his morning training routine with a hundred laps around Konoha. This morning though, he has a brief moment of confusion, of wondering where he is exactly. Then he remembers. 

Gai’s life has been… well, not _empty_ exactly since the Third Shinobi war ended, but after his father’s sacrifice to save him and his team, he’s felt slightly adrift. One of the only bright points has been his constant, energetic rivalry challenges with Kakashi. Only, lately, the challenges have been less energetic and less frequent. Once Kakashi joined ANBU, he seemed to have lost interest in their rivalry. He became more withdrawn. In fact, Gai would boldly say that Kakashi has lost the fires of his passion. It’s been nothing but rock-paper-scissors for the past few challenges, and this is not an acceptable way to spend the springtime of their youth.

Gai feels fired up just thinking about it, and jumps out of the futon he laid out in Minato and Kushina’s guest room. He begins his morning pushups and considers the confrontation he had with Kakashi last night. Kakashi was just about to yet again brush him off when the Nine-Tails attack started. And the look that crossed Kakashi’s face then, the determination in which Kakashi ran to help his sensei, the way he courageously accepted the most lovely Kushina’s last request - these things rekindled Gai’s determination to break through the other shinobi’s barriers. 

Gai knows what people say about Kakashi - friend-killer, cold-blooded - but he doesn’t believe any of it. Deep down, Kakashi has a kind heart, and the village has taken advantage of that. 

He pauses in his push-ups at the sound of a sharp knock on the outside door and Kakashi yelling something explicit. Last night, Kakashi had fallen asleep on the couch in the living room with little Naruto bundled on his chest, so Gai hops up to greet the visitor.

Unexpectedly, the Professor himself stands at the door, and Gai hastily straightens his posture, standing at attention. He momentarily regrets the state of his clothes - he’s not wearing many. But he supposes it can’t be helped when one is a man of action. Sarutobi-sama barely gives him half a glance though and waves at him in dismissal. 

Kakashi sits up on the couch, too pale and missing the usual forehead protector that hides his sharingan eye. The red stands out sharply, and Gai sees the tomoe swirl briefly before Naruto squeals and Kakashi looks down, his face softening.

“Kakashi,” Sarutobi says, shutting the door behind himself. His face is lined heavily with grief, and Gai considers his intentions at coming here in this early hour considering the events of the night before. Kakashi shakes his head before the other can speak further.

“No,” Kakashi says, with a conviction in his voice Gai hasn’t heard for a long time. As if this is the last grip he has on his sanity, and he’s prepared to defend it. “You're not taking him.”

“Kakashi, it’s not practical,” Sarutobi says, and Gai just stares between the two of them, something stirring in his heart as Sarutobi continues, “How are you going to take care of a child? Especially this child.”

Kakashi shakes his head, rejecting the idea outright. “This is what Kushina wanted. Naruto is mine. I’ll… figure it out.” 

Sarutobi sighs, seemingly ready to start another mode of attack, but Gai drops to the floor, finally overcome with emotion. He bows deeply, not caring about his appearance, and blurts out, “Sarutobi-sama, I am fully willing to assist Kakashi in any way to help him in this mission. This is our most noble Kushina’s last request.”

He doesn’t look up, but he can feel the weight of their gazes. He wonders what Kakashi thinks of this, if Sarutobi will accept the gesture. Sarutobi clears his throat. 

“The council is not going to like this,” Sarutobi says reluctantly. “But we have more troublesome issues to deal with.” His voice is heavy with the burden of the future, and it’s obvious even to Gai that Sarutobi has too much to deal with right now to worry about this on top of the rest of it. “Gai, please stand.”

Gai jumps back to his feet, nodding enthusiastically and overwhelmed with happiness that he is able to help Kakashi in this manner. Kakashi merely looks at him as if he’s the strangest thing he’s ever seen, but Gai is quite used to that sort of look, and he imagines it won’t be the last time he sees it.

\---

Uchiha Mikoto brings her two sons by not long after the Professor leaves. Her oldest, Itachi, solemnly carries bags of supplies, staring up at Kakashi with dark eyes when he answers the door. Mikoto herself is wearing Sasuke in a sling while also balancing bags of prepared food and other things. Kakashi scrambles to gather them all out of her arms, uncovering Sasuke as he goes. Sasuke giggles at him in reply. 

Gai’s desperately cuddling Naruto on the couch, but the kid won’t stop screaming at the moment. “Oh,” Mikato says, barely an inhale of breath, and she pushes past Kakashi, tears already streaming down her face when she sees the child. She holds out her hands, and Gai hands him over willingly. Mikoto’s face lights up through her tears, and Naruto even pauses his shrieking for a moment. Sasuke reaches for him with chubby fists.

“I’m so sorry,” she says, and it’s not meant for any of them. Kakashi spreads all of the bags out over the kitchen counters, giving Mikoto her moment with the kid. Just a few weeks ago, Mikoto was cradling Sasuke, only months old, and pressing her hand to Kushina’s belly, happily chatting about how their kids would grow up as friends. Kakashi can’t imagine what it’s like for her. 

Gai relinquishes his place on the couch, hopping up with presumably false energy to assist Kakashi. Itachi sits at the kitchen table watching them both unpack the bags. Kakashi flinches as he finds one full of containers of what appears to be breast milk, and looks away suddenly, face flushed. He realizes he has no idea what to do with this either, but feels overwhelmingly grateful at the gesture and knows Kushina would be overjoyed if she could possibly know. Itachi tilts his head at him but says nothing. Smart kid.

“His name is Naruto,” Kakashi says, finally, unable to turn around to face Mikoto, but also unwilling to be rude to Kushina’s best friend. His voice nearly breaks from exhaustion among other things. Gai gives him a careful look but merely continues to unpack the bags Mikoto brought, opening cabinets and finding good places for everything.

“They would name him after that damn book of Jiraiya’s,” Mikoto says, laughing wetly. Naruto’s stopped screaming, finally, and Mikoto brings him over to the table. Itachi’s eyes widen at the sight of Naruto, and Sasuke reaches out his hand towards the other boy again. That brings more tears to Mikoto’s eyes.

“We talked about how they would be friends - Naruto and Sasuke,” she says, but then shakes her head sadly, cutting herself off. Kakashi winces, the moment playing on repeat in his memory. He wonders if Mikoto knows that he spent the past months following Kushina nearly as close as her own shadow. Probably. Although she hasn’t been an active jounin for a while now, she doesn’t seem to miss much.

Mikoto meets his gaze again, holding Naruto out to him, albeit reluctantly. “Ah, I can’t stay for long, anyways, but I knew you would need some help.” She tilts her head at the counter full of bags. “I had prepared a lot of it for Kushina already, and some of it I knew you wouldn’t be able to do without,” she says, trailing off.

Kakashi hopes the level of overwhelmed he feels isn’t showing on his face at the moment, but he’s pretty sure it is. “Thank you,” he says softly.

She nods, placing a hand on Itachi’s head. The boy looks up at her, face shuttered, such a contrast to Sasuke still happily gurgling in his sling. Mikoto smiles at them sadly. “We couldn’t save them, Kakashi, but we will make sure that Naruto grows up well.” 

Gai’s eyes are overflowing with tears now, but Kakashi thinks he has none left. Not anymore. Gai wipes his eyes noisily and his face brightens with an obvious effort.

“Uchiha-san, if you have time, would you please explain how to use these most generous supplies?” Gai says, offering a practical topic change, and Kakashi thanks him for that. He holds onto the kid in his arms, and listens to Mikoto give them the rundown on their new, long term mission: newborn care.

Gai pauses only to take notes, eyes shining with dedication. Kakashi sits down at the table tiredly, paying attention, but also keeping tabs on Mikoto’s extremely quiet oldest child. 

“How are you holding up, kid?” He asks, and Itachi gives him a curious look. 

“I’m not that young, Hatake-san,” he says, and Kakashi would like to beg to differ - the kid can’t have even started Academy yet, but then Itachi continues, head bowing and looking very somber. “We have to prepare for the memorial for Father.” 

Kakashi stands up abruptly, jostling Naruto in his haste, who lets out a fresh squeal. He grimaces briefly at his own lack of foresight.

“Damnit, Mikoto, I didn’t know about your husband.” He says, too loud, and Gai and Mikoto both give him alternately shocked and horrified looks. Mikoto’s face is ashen, and Gai looks like Kakashi stepped on a puppy. Kakashi’s mind flashes unwillingly back to the previous night, and his breath catches as he realizes that he _did_ see Mikoto there. He looks away. Gai must’ve known.

“I -,” Mikoto says, but then her face locks down, iron in her jaw. “We all must do what we can, Kakashi.”

Kakashi is absolutely stunned at the ferocity of this woman, and thinks that, of course she would be Kushina’s best friend. 

“You will lead the clan well, Uchiha-san,” he says, softly and formally. As the last of his clan, it’s the least he can do to acknowledge the new Uchiha clan head.

She nods at him, the moment breaking, and goes back to explaining to Gai about childcare. Kakashi’s left to wonder how he would have ever done it by himself without the help of these two.


	3. Chapter 3

Asuma and Kurenai are the next to arrive, later in the afternoon as the sun is starting to hang lower in the sky. The light filtering in from the windows is eerily orange with lingering smoke and debris from the fires that raged for most of the night. Kakashi holds tightly to Naruto. He’s felt unwilling to let him go as if holding onto this last piece of his sensei will leave some order in the universe. Gai greets his friends, loudly welcoming them. Neither appear to have ever been here before and they look around curiously before Kurenai’s gaze alights on Kakashi.

Asuma hangs back cautiously, but Kurenai marches over to Kakashi and puts her hands on her hips. “What have you two done?” She asks, and Kakashi gives her a flat look. He’s always made a point to reject Gai’s continuous requests to spend time with Kurenai and Asuma. He’s never really seen the point in maintaining relationships like that. Not after what happened with his own team. He barely tolerates Gai as it is. 

“You can't possibly keep him -” Kurenai continues, but Kakashi interrupts coldly.

“What else are we supposed to do? Let him go to the orphanage?” Kakashi holds her gaze, and she eventually bites her lip, looking away.

“I suppose not,” she says. “It's just that we're so young…”

Kakashi shrugs, “We’re shinobi,” he says simply. “We do what we must.”

She sighs then, and nods at Naruto. “Can I hold him?”

Kakashi doesn’t reply for a moment that’s probably too long to be socially acceptable really, but Gai is at his side now, and Gai nudges him gently, so Kakashi hands over the small bundle to Kurenai. Asuma leans in to look down at the kid, holding out his hand like he wants to touch but is afraid to.

“The scars -” Asuma starts, hand pulled back suddenly when he sees them. Kakashi shrugs, shoving his hands in his pockets for something to do. He suddenly feels claustrophobic.

“I’m going to get some stuff from my place,” he says, stepping back suddenly, and Gai looks up, stricken. Without really knowing why he’s running, Kakashi leaves. 

Konoha is a war zone, and the shock of seeing it in daylight makes his head spin. There’s destruction everywhere he turns, people’s faces taut with grief and fear. The air feels too thick to breathe properly, and he’s glad his mask already protects him from lingering smoke. Before he realizes what he’s doing, he’s at the memorial stone, barely able to stand. He dizzily thinks that there will be more names here. Names that shouldn’t be here. Too many names that will be written too soon. He doesn’t stay for long.

He’s back at his apartment, and it’s dark and smells like smoke. The in between of how he got there is blurred, like the memory is smudged. There’s no electricity in his building but there is water, and he’s at the sink, washing the blood off of his hands. But no, that’s not right - there’s no blood really - not anymore. He looks down, and his hands are shockingly clean. He’s not sure how long he’s been there, at the sink, but he remembers that there hasn’t been any blood there since last night. He panics, then, wondering where the kid is. His heart speeds up, loud in the quiet of his apartment. Kushina handed him her child, her smile smeared with blood. He tries to think, the edges going blurry again, but this is familiar now, and he breathes in and out to calm himself. Gai has the kid, he thinks. The look on Gai’s face when he left is burned into his memory, a sharp point in all of the haze.

He suddenly feels like shit for leaving like that. Asuma and Kurenai were there. They’ll wonder… well, they will probably wonder about a lot of things.

He groans at his stupidity and steps back from the sink, water dripping from his hands. He hasn’t had an episode like this for a while, at least probably since he’d been guarding Kushina. He yanks a towel off the counter to dry his hands off. This is ridiculous. He’s a shinobi. He can do this. It’s just like any other mission. (Something in his head that sounds suspiciously like Gai says maybe it’s not.)

He glances around his apartment then, trying to think rationally about what he needs. He’ll have to move into Minato’s place for the time being. Naruto can’t stay here, in this tiny, dark space. Gai will need stuff too, he thinks, but then he freezes at that thought. Maybe Gai won’t want to stay that long. He shakes his head, pushing that thought aside. He’s never been to Gai’s place anyways, so he’s not about to go there now. Gai will have to get his own supplies if he wants to stay after all. He packs as much as he can before reluctantly heading back.

\---

Asuma and Kurenai are still there when Kakashi gets back. Asuma is leaning against the kitchen counter, watching Gai coo over Naruto with a small smile, but his expression grows colder as he watches Kakashi opening the door. Kurenai’s at the table, laughing at Gai and Naruto and shaking her head at something that Kakashi didn’t quite catch before he returned. She glances Kakashi’s way as he enters, and her eyes widen at the sight of his bag.

“Moving in?” She asks, but it’s such a ridiculous question that he doesn’t bother to answer it. Gai gives him a curious look, but Kakashi leaves them to their cute domestic scene in favor of putting his bag down. He places it in the guest room, where Gai must’ve slept last night if he was able to sleep at all. The futon is still out and rumpled in an otherwise orderly room. He imagines Kushina or Minato placing books on the bookshelves, straightening the items on the shelves, and gives himself a small mental kick. It’s only been a day. He finds himself automatically folding the futon and placing it in appropriate closet. 

When he turns to go back into the kitchen, Asuma’s in the doorway, blocking him. “Cute kid,” he says, pulling a cigarette out of his pocket but not lighting it. He twirls it in his fingers and gestures to the window with it, “Step outside for a bit?” His face is grim.

Kakashi knows it’s more of an order than a real request, and he nods in resignation, suppressing a sigh. There’s a reason he’s turned down all of those dango invitations - Gai’s friends are nosy at best, and irritating at worst, just like the other shinobi himself. 

Asuma slides the window open and hops out of it easily in true shinobi style, and Kakashi follows, sliding the window closed as he goes. He knows he doesn't have to do… whatever this is going to be, but he feels mildly guilty about what happened earlier. Gai’s hurt look is seared into his memory like a brand. If he’s honest with himself, Gai has nothing to do with any of this, and Kakashi’s not sure why he's bothering to help, which somehow makes it worse. Gai’s just a nosy interloper who gets himself in too deep for his own good.

Asuma settles against the wall of the building, lighting his cigarette and sighing in relief. “Gai has a soft spot for you, you know,” he says. “I'll be damned if I understand it, but he does, Hatake, and I'm going to be really upset if you take advantage of him.”

Kakashi doesn't make eye contact with the other shinobi, although he feels the weight of his gaze. “I won't,” he says, unsure how else one would even respond to something like that. Kakashi doesn’t know what there is to take advantage of. It seems like Gai does whatever Gai wants, regardless of Kakashi’s say in it. It’s not like he asked him to help out with the kid.

Maybe some of that is written on his face, because Asuma shakes his head, then tilts it back looking up at the skyline of the city, exhaling smoke and dropping the subject. “I think my old man is going to end up taking the hat again.”

Kakashi does look at him then, surprised. “The Professor? Why?” He hadn’t considered who would take Minato’s place. It’s not even been a day yet, and it stings to even think about it, but the village has to move on, it has to have a leader. Someone else. A Fifth hokage, even.

Asuma shrugs, “There’s not really anyone else for the job, now is there. Maybe Danzou, but he’s a creep.”

Kakashi only knows what he’s heard about Danzou from his time in ANBU - that the man leads a special part of ANBU called Root, although he’s unclear what the Root missions entail. He shrugs noncommittally.

Asuma chuckles at the gesture. “You might not think so, because you’re part of ANBU, anyways, now aren’t you? I’ve heard what they call you…”

Cold-blooded Kakashi. That’s his nickname. That’s what Gai was arguing with him about the night before. Right before the Nine-Tails attacks. He lets his eyes tilt up in a fake smile, pushing back the memories.

“Well, I can’t be so cold hearted as all that,” gesturing back to Minato’s apartment. Asuma’s face drops a bit, showing something like sympathy or pity or some other emotion that Kakashi has no use for in his companions. Kakashi gestures to Asuma’s cigarette instead. “Does Kurenai know you smoke those things?” He says, pointed.

Asuma looks a bit guilty and shrugs, face tinged with red. They stand in silence after that, and Asuma finishes his cigarette. The light’s already starting to fade behind the trees. It’s been nearly an entire day, and Kakashi can’t say where any of it went. He hasn’t seen Naruto that much today, and he feels strange about that. He’s basically pushed the kid off on Gai and who knows how long Gai will want to stick around. The kid’s his own responsibility, so he needs to be the one taking the lead in these things. 

The silence hangs a bit too heavy for a moment, and Kakashi sighs, giving in. “Come on, we’ll try to make something for dinner between the four of us,” he says, and invites Asuma back inside. A peace offering of sorts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A side note on ages - I'm just assuming Kakashi, Gai, Asuma, Kurenai, and their associated age group are all around 17 at this time. I realize this is different from canon, but OH WELL. Ages in Naruto don't make any sense anyways. As far as I can tell, in anime canon, Mikoto leaves her 3 month old child home alone with her 5 year old son, so I feel like age is a _really_ loose concept in this world. :3
> 
> Thanks for reading!!!


	4. Chapter 4

Gai’s too damn good with the kid, Kakashi decides, frowning at the other shinobi who’s busy bottle-feeding Naruto. Gai’s practically glowing, and Naruto seems to have taken to him well enough. He’s not sure if he should be relieved or annoyed about it, but regardless, the whole scene is nearly too adorable for Kakashi to handle. The fact that Gai’s still there at all is kind of shocking to him, especially after the stunt Kakashi pulled earlier today. He still can’t forgive himself for that, and he winces remembering the moment.

Asuma and Kurenai left hours ago, and it’s well into the night now. Kakashi hates to admit it, but he likes having Gai around. He can’t imagine what it would be like with just him and the kid in this empty house together, and he pushes the idea aside before it can really take hold. He only realizes he’s been openly staring when Gai finally catches him out at it and meets his gaze, raising an eyebrow at him. 

“Do you want to try, my most worthy rival?” Gai asks after a pause, and Kakashi’s face twitches slightly at the wording, but something makes him nod his head, anyways. Before he knows it, Gai’s bringing Naruto over to him, and Kakashi is accepting the little bundle. The kid’s just too tiny. And yet somehow the entire demon that nearly destroyed Konoha is sealed in this little body. The whisker marks, the dark seal on his belly, there’s no doubt as to what Minato did before giving his life to the Shinigami.

Gai offers him the bottle, and Kakashi takes over, feeling his face heat behind his mask. The situation is pretty ridiculous. Gai’s eyes are still twinkling with something like joy, and Kakashi can’t help but laugh suddenly, unexpected, startling Naruto and Gai both. He pushes up his forehead protector, wiping tears from his eyes, but he’s not sad right now. He’s not sure what he’s feeling.

“What is it?” Gai asks, crouching down next to the chair he’s sitting on, at Naruto’s level now. 

Kakashi clears his throat, leaving his forehead protector up and ignoring the drain of the sharingan eye. “You staying here again tonight?” He asks, avoiding the subject entirely. He’s not even sure what the subject is.

Gai meets his gaze head-on and gives him a confused look. “Why of course, Kakashi, why wouldn’t I?” He gestures to Naruto. “We need to get up again later to change and feed him.” As if it’s obvious and taken for granted that they will be doing this all together.

Kakashi feels something loosen in his chest at that, and he closes his eyes briefly. He’s been waiting for the other shoe to drop, but maybe there isn’t one with Gai. Maybe things are just like they seem. He says finally, “I got some supplies from my apartment earlier today. You’re welcome to anything of mine.”

Gai smiles at him warmly, standing then. “Thank you, Kakashi. I’ll go out tomorrow and get my own things.”

\---

Gai’s clothes really do consist mostly of those horrifying green training uniforms, or at least that’s most of what he brought over from his own apartment. He places them all in the guest room closet the next morning at an unreasonable hour, alongside Kakashi’s own clothes. He also says something about the springtime of their youth and how Kakashi should get up and enjoy it with him and their adorable child companion, but Kakashi ignores that part and goes back to sleep. 

Neither of them have braved Minato and Kushina’s room yet. Instead, the previous night, they pushed together futons in the guest room, sleeping with Naruto between them in the manner that Mikoto recommended. Well, neither of them slept all that much considering the third resident of the futon arrangement. It will probably be awhile before Kakashi’s used to having a tiny human sleeping next to him.

At some point though, he smells food, and he feels alert enough to stumble into the kitchen. Gai also brought over what Kakashi can only assume is the entire contents of his fridge. He tries to imagine what kind of bizarre scenario he missed this morning, and shakes his head at the thought. He’s not about to complain though, when he finds the rice ready in the kitchen area and some grilled fish and vegetables set out. Gai’s got Naruto wrapped around him in the same sort of sling that Mikoto was wearing yesterday and is managing to balance Naruto as he eats. Well, at least they both look happy, Kakashi thinks.

“Yo,” he says, grabbing a bowl of rice. He blinks his eyes as he realizes he left his forehead protector in the other room, but shrugs feeling only mildly self conscious.

Gai merely beams at him, unfazed by the sharingan. “Good morning! Or should I say afternoon? You have missed out on our adventures!”

“And what were those?” Kakashi asks, taking the bait. Gai details his morning going back and forth to his apartment, with Naruto along for the ride. Kakashi gives him a blank look.

“And the kid doesn’t mind?” Kakashi says, flatly, placing some vegetables on the rice and sitting down at the table with Gai to eat. “That can’t be good for him.”

“We didn’t go very fast, of course, but he found it most invigorating!” Gai amends, his smile too huge and too bright. 

The child in question is sleeping again in the sling, probably exhausted from having to spend so much time with Gai. Kakashi snorts, unable to help himself. He attempts to cover it up with a cough, but Gai looks at him suspiciously.

“Hmmm, I didn’t know you could cook so well,” Kakashi says, changing the subject quickly and letting Gai rant at him about his usual poor eating habits that are unbefitting of a shinobi. He tunes most of it out, merely watching the kid sleeping against Gai’s chest and letting his mind wander.

“The pack!” He says, suddenly, and Gai pauses, mid-rant. Kakashi puts his chopsticks down and summons them. His pack. They barely fit in Minato and Kushina’s small living space, and Gai’s laugh booms through the apartment at the sight of all of the dogs.

“What a great idea, my Eternal Rival!” Gai says, and jumps up from the table, unwrapping Naruto from the sling and handing him to Kakashi for the introductions. Kakashi takes him carefully, still uncertain about holding him. He supposes it’s just going to take a while to get used to handling something so fragile. The dogs all stare at him in awe.

“Boss?” Pakkun speaks up, finally. “Where’d you get the pup?” 

Shiba sniffs the boy curiously. “He smells like your sensei.”

“It’s a long story,” Kakashi says, and he lets all of the dogs sniff Naruto in turns. Naruto’s awake now and doesn’t seem to mind it. “Pack, meet Naruto. He’s ours now.” Several tails wag with happiness, and even Bull looks mildly pleased. Bull never says anything though, and his slobber drips on the floor. Kakashi finds it endearing.

Pakkun hops onto Bull’s head, getting a better view of Naruto. He nods, “Right. We’ll look after him, Boss.”

They all end up sitting on the couch, while the dogs coo over Naruto. Gai eventually sits next to him after cleaning the kitchen area, and Bisuke curls up in between them. Some of the other dogs make a pile right at their feet. They sit like that for a bit, the dogs falling asleep around them, Kakashi watching Naruto. Naruto falls asleep again too, reluctantly, his eyes struggling with the effort. And Kakashi feels content, suddenly, with his pack around him like this. Even Gai’s being unusually quiet for once. Kakashi glances over, and suppresses a smile when he sees why. Maybe the morning errands tired him out after all.

\---

Gai wakes up from his impromptu nap on Minato-sensei’s couch to find Kakashi and Naruto missing. He hears Kakashi talking to Naruto from the bedroom, and it fills him with such a warm happiness that he nearly feels overwhelmed to the point of tears. This happens often when one is a man of such passionate emotions, of course.

Gai really hasn’t given much thought to the idea of being a father. He’s spent the past few years single-mindedly training for his goal to become stronger than Kakashi, and the goal post keeps changing as Kakashi himself changes as well. So, really, when he’s imagined the future, all he’s been able to see is Kakashi running further into the distance. 

Vaguely somewhere in the back of his mind, he thinks he probably assumed that he’d have kids someday, although now when confronted with the reality of Naruto, he wonders how that would’ve ever really happened. The logistics seem to involve dating and other things that Gai just doesn’t have the time to dedicate to. Besting a genius like Kakashi is enough to keep anyone on their toes, even someone in the prime of his youth like Gai.

But now, in this moment, he thinks that he really likes the idea of having a child. Perhaps specifically this child, and maybe also with Kakashi here to assist in the lively journey of child raising. He’s not sure what that means exactly, but it doesn’t really matter. This is something Kakashi needs help with and something Gai can do for him, so that’s what he’s going to do. 

Before Gai makes it off of the couch, Kakashi appears in the doorway fully masked now, holding Naruto, his smile apparent even from under the mask. When his eyes meet Kakashi’s own, Kakashi’s visible eye widens and he clears his throat suddenly, looking away. That’s not unusual in and of itself, of course. Kakashi is a sort of cool and modern guy, after all, and eye contact seems to be optional. But there’s something like a faint blush staining his cheeks above the mask, and Gai finds that curious.

Not wanting to make the other man more uncomfortable than he already seems, Gai jumps off of the couch, full of renewed energy. “I’ll prepare us a mid-day meal fit for shinobi such as ourselves!” He declares.

Kakashi rolls his eyes at him. “Well if you insist,” he says, and shrugs then, the strange tension breaking. Gai’s not sure what’s bothering Kakashi but he imagines he’ll figure it out eventually.


	5. Chapter 5

Kakashi doesn’t go out much in the weeks following the Nine-Tails attack. He’s summoned once to the Hokage’s office after Sarutobi takes the hat back, but it’s merely a formality. The Professor assures him that he’ll have no trouble keeping custody of Naruto, but requests that they use Kushina’s last name for the child - Uzumaki. Kakashi wants to argue about it, thinks the kid should be able to claim his heritage as the son of the Fourth Hokage, but he also knows from personal experience that such titles can come with a price. And it’s probably better if Naruto doesn’t grow up as the Fourth Hokage’s son, since he’s already going to grow up as the container of the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon. Kakashi can only shield him from so much.

So he ends up agreeing to it, and the Hokage looks relieved to have this one thing settled out of so many things left to do. Gai smiles brightly when he hears the news and makes terribly adorable noises at Naruto for the rest of the following afternoon. Granted, Gai probably would’ve done that anyways and spends most of his time with Naruto doing just that sort of thing. Mikoto laughs aloud when she hears about it. She thinks Kushina would get a kick out of it, for the kid to have her name instead of Minato’s, even considering the circumstances. Regardless of his name though, Kakashi promises Naruto that he’ll grow up knowing about both of his parents and the wonderful things they did for the village. He whispers it to the kid when he thinks Gai’s not looking, and pulls the little frog cap down more snugly on the kid’s head. Naruto doesn’t reply, but Kakashi’s heart feels a little lighter anyways.

He also ends up regularly summoning the pack into the small living space after the first experience. He thinks Minato would understand. Gai continues his daily training regimen, sometimes disappearing with Naruto in the early mornings, sometimes leaving him cuddled next to Kakashi and one of the dogs. Kakashi spends many of the first few days as if he’s walking through a fog, but it feels like the haze is clearing slowly as they settle into this new sort of life.

On one such morning, Kakashi blearily awakes to the outside door opening. This isn’t unusual in and of itself, and he had just gotten Naruto back to sleep not too long ago, so he prepares to go back to sleep for a few more minutes, until he hears Mikoto’s voice along with Gai’s. He sits up abruptly, and the nearest dog, Guruku, opens a lazy eye as if to confirm status, closing it again when Kakashi gives a small nod.

Gai’s voice booms through the small living space, and Kakashi winces, hoping Naruto doesn’t wake up. He slips on some clothes, grabbing for his forehead protector to slide down over his eye, and shuffles out to the main room. He halts in surprise when he finds not only Mikoto and Gai but the two mini Uchiha as well, the eldest quiet as ever. He resists the urge to scowl.

“Ah! I’m just heading out, Kakashi,” Mikoto says, handing Sasuke to him. He blinks at her blankly. She’s wearing standard jounin gear which is surprising in and of itself. He doesn’t think he’s seen her in uniform for years. Even on the night of the Nine-Tails attack she - 

“Village reconstruction meeting,” she says in reply to his stare, breaking that chain of thought. Her gaze sharpens a bit as she continues, “All the clan heads are required to be there.” 

“Is that so…” Kakashi replies, giving her his blandest smile. One can’t be a clan head, he thinks, if the clan consists of one.

“I ran into the most lovely Uchiha-san this morning while out for some lively exercise,” Gai interrupts, beaming. He places his hand on Itachi’s head, who looks briefly confused and then glares directly at Kakashi as if it’s somehow his fault. 

Kakashi shrugs at the kid, and then waves a hand at Gai, “Ah, it’s fine. We’ll look after them for today,” he says.

Sasuke’s already started grabbing at his mask by the time Mikoto leaves. Kakashi tries to pry the pint-sized hand away, but the little Uchiha has a firm grasp on the material and has it halfway pulled down Kakashi’s face. Kids really have no sense for propriety, he thinks. 

Gai bends down to Itachi’s level, “What would you like to do today?” He asks, and Itachi frowns.

“I need to train,” Itachi replies, and Gai blinks at him a few times before clapping his hand against the kid’s shoulder and laughing jovially. Kakashi winces thinking that such aggressive affection is painful to _him_ on the best of days, let alone to a five year old kid. Itachi seems to hold up well enough, however.

“You have quite an energetic spirit!” Gai says, definitely not using his indoor voice, and Naruto’s responding shriek sounds throughout the living area. Sasuke’s moved on from Kakashi’s mask and is now pulling at his hair. Kakashi gently untangles Sasuke’s fist from his hair and holds the kid out in front of him like he’s a bomb about to go off. “Here,” he says, offering the kid to Gai. “You take this one. I’ll go grab the other one.”

Gai gives him a slightly apologetic look and accepts Sasuke. By the time Kakashi’s returned with Naruto, Gai has Sasuke wrapped in a sling around him and is running through katas with Itachi in the living room. Kakashi shakes his head unwilling to look at the situation too closely. He’ll be lucky if they don’t break anything.

By early afternoon, Minato and Kushina’s house is feeling rather small. Itachi seems like he won’t be satisfied until he can throw weapons at something. Sasuke’s already had a small fit, and Kakashi’s fed both him and Naruto, himself, and gotten everything cleaned up. 

“So, what do we do with all of these brats?” Kakashi asks.

Gai gives him a disappointed look, but takes a moment to think. His eyes gleam with the look of a man who has a Plan and Kakashi feels the cold grip of fear on his heart. “Dango,” Gai says, with fervor, and Kakashi sighs in resignation. Itachi’s looking up at him with wide eyes, and the kid’s probably never even _had_ dango before. Kakashi hangs his head - all hope is lost.

“Sure, sure,” he says. “Dango it is.”

\---

The dango shop is more crowded than one would expect for an early afternoon. In fact, it feels suspiciously like somehow all of this was planned. 

“Well, well, look who it is,” Genma says, standing up from the table where he’s sitting with Kurenai and Asuma. He’s starting towards them, but his entire motion just stops when he sees the child pressed carefully against Kakashi’s chest. 

“Is that -,” He says, cutting himself off, and his face is a blank mask.

Kakashi merely nods, and forces himself to move further into the shop. They’re making a scene, he thinks, briefly, but the other customers seem to be very carefully not paying attention to them. Nothing to see here. Just a few ninja filling the small shop and intimidating the villagers.

Genma’s face crumples a bit, and he just stares at Naruto, still making no motion to come closer. Kakashi sighs, something pulling tight in his chest. Genma was part of the Hokage’s guard. They all knew about the child of course - the legacy of the Fourth Hokage, of the Yellow Flash. 

Gai bumps his shoulder, “Let’s make room at the table and join them!” 

Genma starts at that, finally looking up to Kakashi and making eye contact again. “You better take care of him, Hatake.” 

Kakashi nods. “I will. I promised.” And a shinobi is only good as his word after all.

Genma lets his gaze drop, face settling into a placid mask, until he finally looks down to find the small Uchiha boy glaring darkly at all of them next to Kakashi’s leg. He lets out a startled laugh.

“What? Are you guys collecting a whole set then?” Genma asks, slipping back into the banter that’s easier than dealing with any of the rest of it, and Kakashi scowls, regretting this adventure already.

Gai merely laughs loudly, gaining unwanted attention from several patrons who have decided that the ninja are merely nuisances rather than anything to be concerned about. “Our youthful companions are the children of the most honorable Uchiha Mikoto who is away at a meeting.”

They get the kids settled at the table, ordering more dango to go around. Naruto’s thankfully still sleeping, but Sasuke attempts to grab the stick out of Gai’s hand while he’s eating. Itachi pokes at his own dango suspiciously when it arrives. Kurenai gives him a fond look. 

“Have you started Academy yet?” she asks, and Itachi shakes his head.

“Sometimes I train with Shisui, but he’s always gone.” Itachi says, “And Father was teaching me shurikenjutsu.” He looks down at the table, leaving his dango untouched. Kurenai frowns at that. Everyone at the table has heard what happened to the Uchiha clan head and much of the Uchiha clan. 

Kakashi places his hand on the boy’s hair, ruffling it in an obnoxious manner. “Maa, Itachi-chan,” he says, because irritating the kid seems to work as a distraction tactic. “Our Genma here is quite good with senbon. He might be able to teach you something new.” He shoots Genma a vicious smile, and Itachi looks up with cautious interest.

Genma looks startled at the idea, a half-eaten dango hovering in front of his mouth. “Um,” he says, and promptly eats the last remaining dango on his stick, buying himself some small amount of time to formulate a reply.

Gai nods vigorously at the suggestion. “Why, that is a most wonderful idea!”

Genma lowers the dango stick slowly, looking quite cornered. Asuma chuckles, and Kurenai politely hides a grin behind her hand. Genma clears his throat.

“Do you _want_ to train in senbon?” Genma asks Itachi. “It’s pretty different from shurikenjutsu.”

Everyone watches curiously, waiting for Itachi’s reply. The kid’s frowning a bit though, and looking way too hesitant. He finally answers, “I would like that, Genma-san.” 

Genma laughs at that, “Alright, kid, you’ve got a deal. You can show me your shurikenjutsu later, and we’ll work on senbon techniques, too.” 

Itachi looks mildly awed, but nods again, back to being quiet. Gai takes the reigns of the conversation, regaling them with tales of Cute Things Naruto’s Done, and Kakashi’s once again glad to not be the focus of attention. He imagines Itachi feels the same way.


	6. Chapter 6

After dango, Kurenai and Asuma make their excuses and head off in the opposite direction. Together, Kakashi notes. He’s pretty sure they are secretly dating and has suspected this for some time now. If he had anyone other than Gai to place bets with, he’d totally place a bet on it, but he’s also not quite sure what’s supposed to be so secret about the situation, so for now he’s merely observing.

Genma sticks around, joining them on their walk back to Kushina and Minato’s place. He seems to be pulled in by Gai’s chattering, which includes heavy hints about heading to the training grounds soon, seeing as Mikoto will likely be gone for the rest of the day. Gai also makes sure to mention how energetic and lively Itachi seems at the idea of senbon training. Kakashi’s not sure either of those words describe Itachi very well at any given point, but Itachi does keep giving Genma curious looks, tinged with a healthy dash of hope. For as emotionless as the brat pretends to be, he’s really got a lot going on under the surface. It’s a little disconcerting to see that sort of thing in a kid his age, but regardless, Genma’s obviously not getting out of this one. Kakashi mostly keeps quiet on the walk back, letting Gai and Genma chat. Mainly he’s trying not to jostle Naruto who has only just started fussing a bit, but hasn’t made it to full-on wailing.

By the time they get to the apartment, Sasuke _is_ wailing, and Gai practically pushes Genma into the living area, ignoring the other ninja’s obvious hesitation at entering the Fourth’s old place. Kakashi knows firsthand how impossible it is to resist Gai when he's in top form like he seems to be today, and Genma surely does, too, seeing as he was stuck on a genin team with Gai. 

There’s a heavy sort of silence though when Gai takes Sasuke into the other room to get him changed, Itachi trailing behind him. Genma has just sort of stopped in the middle of the living room, looking around, and Kakashi realizes suddenly that other than Mikoto, even Asuma and Kurenai haven’t been back to the apartment after that first day. It’s weird having someone new here, perhaps made even more surreal by the evidence of Minato and Kushina still scattered around the apartment. Kakashi’s not sure if Genma’s ever been in here, if he has memories here like Kakashi does, but either way a frown tugs at the corner of Genma’s mouth as he surveys the room.

Kakashi unwraps Naruto from the sling, giving Genma his moment, but the kid suddenly starts shrieking. Genma glances back with a surprised laugh, focusing on Naruto again, whatever he was thinking about sliding off of his features easily as if it hadn’t been there in the first place. 

“Never thought I’d see you with a kid,” Genma says, and Kakashi shrugs. 

“Kushina asked me to…” he replies, as he gets Naruto ready to be changed. “It’s not like I could say no.” 

Genma nods and hooks his thumb at the other room, indicating Gai. “What about that one? He’s just along for the ride?”

“Something like that…” Kakashi mumbles, not wanting to get into it. He doesn’t know how to explain his relationship to Gai or what they’re even doing now. It seems best not to examine it too closely and just to live in the day-to-day. 

Genma gives Kakashi a sort of considering look that Kakashi pretends to ignore, and his eyes widen a bit when he sees the seal on Naruto’s belly, but he says nothing further. Kakashi’s weirdly thankful for that. He’s not sure he can talk about the seal, yet, and he’s relieved when Gai finally appears carrying a much happier looking Sasuke. Itachi follows close on his heels, still keeping an ever-watchful eye on his younger brother.

Genma attempts small talk with Gai while they get Naruto and Sasuke fed. Turns out that there’s a ton of work to be done around Konoha, and the reconstruction meeting that Mikoto’s at today is just the start. It's not hard to predict that they'll be rebuilding for months before they'll really be able to accept outside missions again. Kakashi feels like this doesn't bode well for his personal sanity. A jounin without missions to go on is a very bored jounin indeed, but his new role as personal Uchiha babysitter will likely keep him entertained for a while, he thinks. Along with Naruto of course. If Sasuke’s any indication, Naruto is only going to be even more of a handful once he gets a bit older. 

Itachi is practically vibrating with excitement by the time they get the younger kids ready. Perhaps Gai was right about that whole lively and energetic thing. Itachi keeps darting glances between Gai and Kakashi, as if waiting for a signal. Kakashi figures they still have time until Mikoto’s back. She’s probably going to be dealing with grumpy clan heads all day, anyways. He finally relents, shrugging at Gai. “Alright, alright, do you want to grab the kids and head out?”

Gai also looks overly enthusiastic, jumping up from his current seated position, and Itachi seems like a smile is about to break through his usually serious manner. Surely training isn't that exciting… 

“Was I this bad as a child?” He mutters to himself, and Genma laughs out loud next to him.

“From what Gai tells me, yes,” Genma counters. Kakashi looks to Gai for backup, but the other ninja is nodding emphatically, causing Genma to laugh further. Itachi gives them a skeptical look that somehow also manages to convey his impatience at their delay. Kakashi rolls his eyes, deciding that ignoring all three of them will work best in his favor. He writes out a quick note for Mikoto in case she gets back early, and then they all head to an empty training ground to see what the kid can do.

\---

Itachi starts out with shuriken, as promised, and all three jounin are left staring at little Uchiha in bewilderment. The kid’s good. Too good considering his age. Kakashi’s fairly stunned by it, to say the least, and it takes a lot to surprise him. 

“Fugaku was training you in shuriken?” Kakashi asks, and Itachi nods, some complicated expression crossing his too-young face. 

“Some jutsu, too,” Itachi says, and he’s so serious, so single-minded that it reminds Kakashi of himself at that age in a sort of shocking way. Perhaps Genma and Gai are right about his past. He thinks back on it, but it still comes to him in stark flashes of moments that he’d rather not remember too closely. He shakes his head as if that will clear the thoughts out, but they’re still lingering as Itachi continues, “I helped on a few missions during the war as well.”

Genma gives Kakashi a surprised glance and turns carefully toward Itachi. “You what?” He asks, but too soft in a way that suggests he's suppressing the urge to resort to violence.

Itachi gives him a confused look. “Missions,” he repeats. “Father brought me on a few.”

Genma looks like he's about to bite his senbon in half. “Kid, you're not even in Academy,” he says. 

Itachi’s face is carefully blank when he replies, “But I need to continue to get stronger.”

Genma's about to say something else, but Gai interrupts suddenly proclaiming, “Itachi! Are you interested in the energetic art of taijutsu?” And Kakashi could nearly hug Gai right now for his impeccable timing and ridiculous ways of breaking even the most tense situations.

Itachi gives a careful nod, as if he’s reluctant to agree, but Gai runs with it. 

“Yosh!” Gai says, and Kakashi can see where this is going. Gai hands Sasuke over to Genma who looks wholly unsure of what to do with him, and then promptly drags Itachi away from the other jounin. 

Kakashi sits on the ground with Naruto, motioning for Genma to do the same. Genma gets Sasuke settled into his lap, and whistles lowly, “I didn't realize Fugaku was so hard on the kid.”

Kakashi says nothing, preferring to watch Gai spar with Itachi. The height difference is terribly amusing at the very least. Genma elbows him. 

“What?” Kakashi says, glaring at the other jounin, completely intent on disregarding their previous track of conversation. “Don't wake the baby.” 

Genma gives him a skeptical look, and Kakashi attempts to ignore it. Itachi’s movements are elegant for someone who’s still a few months away from Academy age. His reflexes are also quite impressive, but it’s easy to see that he’s lacking in practical experience, even with whatever missions Fugaku took him on. Kakashi imagines that the kid doesn’t have many sparring partners at his age with that kind of talent, unless the Uchiha are hiding a horde of mini soldiers somewhere. Itachi mentioned his cousin Shisui, who has quite a reputation for someone so young, but Itachi couldn’t be training with him very often. Kakashi wants to ask Mikoto. He wonders what kind of action the kid saw. Even at that age Kakashi hadn’t gone on missions yet, although he supposes it wasn’t a very long time after that.

In some way, it’s like he can see Itachi’s entire life mapped out for him - some dark reflection of his own. Itachi will easily be promoted to genin early, isolating him from his teammates and any peers his own age. He’ll probably be pushed into Anbu, perhaps recruited by the secretive Root. He has that sort of darkness in him already that seems like the sort of thing that will only become more twisted over time. Kakashi knows this because it’s something he feels within himself, but he thinks maybe now, with this new situation with Naruto and Gai, he can finally find something new to live for.

He nearly says something to break the silence, but Genma beats him to it. “He’s really good at that, isn’t he?”

Kakashi looks over at the other jounin in confusion. “Itachi?” He asks, and Genma snorts, shaking his head. Sasuke’s sleeping on his lap, and Kakashi thinks Mikoto would probably not appreciate the fact that Genma’s still chewing on a senbon right over her precious child’s face. 

“ _Gai_ ,” Genma says, pointing. “Look at him.” 

And Kakashi does, finally, feeling a sort of thrill run through him as he watches the other ninja. At first he was focused so much on Itachi that he didn’t notice, but Gai really is good at working with the kid. Kakashi suddenly wonders what it would be like if Naruto were a bit older and starting to learn taijutsu. He feels his face heating at the thought and looks down at the sleeping child.

“You’ve got it bad,” Genma teases, and Kakashi thinks his face might burn up at that. Luckily the mask covers the worst of it, or so he hopes. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he says, and he knows Genma’s rolling his eyes without even looking over at him again. 

Genma sighs good-naturedly and changes the subject. ”I guess there’s no convincing Itachi he’d rather learn taijutsu, eh?”

Kakashi shakes his head. “Probably not.” Although he’s pretty sure Gai would love it. Watching him now, Kakashi thinks Gai would do really well with a genin team, and he wonders if it’s something the other ninja has ever considered.

Genma nods, “Well someone should probably look out for the kid, anyways. Mikoto’s going to have a rough time of things.” He gives Kakashi a sly look. “And you’ve got your own matters to deal with.”

Kakashi doesn’t justify that with a response. Genma laughs, and Sasuke scrunches up his face in reply, flailing his arms and grabbing at Genma’s shirt. Genma laughs more at that and slides the usual senbon somewhere out of Sasuke’s reach. 

Kakashi sighs, “What did I tell you about waking the baby?” Naruto’s eyes blink open then, too, awake and alert, but he’s not saying much yet.

Genma looks at the sky, where the sun’s starting to skim the treeline already, “It’s probably time for me to head back anyways. I’ll meet with the kid tomorrow.”

Kakashi nods, waving Gai and Itachi in. Gai of course jogs energetically back to them, while Itachi follows at a slightly more sedate pace. He bows to Gai and thanks him for the training when he catches up.

“Hey, kid, nice moves you’ve got there,” Genma says to him, and Itachi looks obviously annoyed at being referred to as a child, but also seems hesitant to contradict Genma given the situation. Kakashi has to repress a smile at that. Genma continues, “Do you want to meet up tomorrow to go over some senbon techniques?”

Itachi’s face lights up, and he nods, earlier irritation forgotten. Gai gives Genma a thumbs up and a grin. “We’ll let Mikoto know when we see her later today,” he says, taking Sasuke back from the other ninja, and wrapping him securely around his chest with the sling.

Genma nods and winks at Kakashi before he disappears in a flurry of leaves. Kakashi feels vaguely horrified, but Gai claps him on the back, solid and reassuring. Itachi falls in at Gai’s other side, back to his usual routine of watching Sasuke with those serious eyes. Although he does look a bit different, Kakashi notes. It’s hard to tell in the fading light, but Kakashi thinks the boy looks downright cheerful the entire way back to the apartment.


	7. Chapter 7

It’s nightfall by the time Mikoto gets back from the meeting, and she slams the door shut behind her at her return. “That wily old bastard!” She grumbles, kicking off her shoes aggressively and slipping on the house slippers. Itachi’s eyes widen from his spot on the floor playing with Sasuke, but he says nothing. Sasuke’s sitting up in his lap with a stuffed dog of Naruto’s, and he screeches happily when he sees Mikoto.

Gai’s sitting on the couch holding Naruto and merely blinks at her in astonishment, pressing Naruto closer to his chest as if to protect him from her wrath. “Who has wronged you, Mikoto-san?” He asks, concern for her welfare obviously warring with his protective instincts towards Naruto.

“Danzou!” She says, crossing her arms and glaring, looking a little bit like Itachi on a bad day, Kakashi notes. “That old snake wants to get rid of the Uchiha police force entirely!”

Gai shrugs helplessly at Kakashi as Mikoto’s gaze finally lands on her children. Her stern look softens and she goes over to them. Itachi looks vaguely concerned as she bends down to pick Sasuke up, almost as if he wants to prevent her from doing it, but the rest of her anger slides off of her as Sasuke squeals and grabs at her forehead protector. She smiles down at Itachi and brushes Sasuke’s hand away. 

“The police academy was damaged during the attacks,” she continues, tone much calmer than before but still bitter. “Danzou proposed demolishing it and disbanding the force, specifically considering the ‘state of the Uchiha clan’ as he put it.” 

Kakashi’s surprised at that. The police force is a vital resource to the village. ANBU alone can’t handle the day-to-day issues that come up in a village as large as Konoha. Mikoto sits down at the table with Sasuke, sitting him up in her lap. He’s looking awfully alert now and grabbing at her clothes. Itachi makes his way over to the table as well, holding his hand out for Sasuke to grab instead. Sasuke considers it for a moment and then gleefully latches onto his brother's fingers, tugging at them in a way that Kakashi can only imagine is not enjoyable.

Kakashi sets some tea down beside Mikoto. She nods in thanks and then sighs, voice heavy with sadness, “Of course the clan is having issues. Many of us died protecting the village, after all…”

Gai brings Naruto over who’s starting to look awfully sleepy. Kakashi sits down at the table with his own tea and gestures for Gai to do the same, but Gai merely shakes his head.

“Well, what did they decide?” Kakashi asks, and he’s not really that interested - clan politics were never something he cared about. But the implications of disbanding the Military Police Force seem huge. ANBU would end up being the ones taking care of situations the police force would usually handle, and he can't imagine ANBU breaking up late night drunken brawls, for example. 

“The police force isn’t going to be disbanded, that’s for sure.” Mikoto says, and she smiles viciously at him. “I very politely and demurely told him what he could do with that.”

Kakashi nearly chokes on his own tea and sets the cup down. Gai pounds him on the back forcefully, and Kakashi sputters his thanks. 

“Um…” Kakashi says, thinking that maybe Mikoto’s idea of clan politics are more aggressive than her predecessor. Maybe clan politics would be more interesting with her as the head of Uchiha now.

Mikoto half laughs and shakes her head at him. “I proposed that the police academy could be rebuilt, and that we could open police applicants to other clans as a source of interclan cooperation.”

Kakashi nods at this, impressed finally with her political maneuvering. “I bet the Hyuuga loved that.”

“Yes, they did,” she says simply, and she finally picks up her tea, smiling again behind it. “Sarutobi-sama seemed very pleased by the idea as well.” 

Gai nods his approval vigorously, and Kakashi wonders how Naruto ever managed to fall asleep when Gai's the one holding him. Gai seems to always be full of energy and making excess movements to burn it off. “That sounds like a most excellent idea!” Gai proclaims.

Mikoto sips her tea carefully, avoiding Sasuke’s grabbing hands. He’s apparently moved on from Itachi’s fingers and is more interested in the teacup. Itachi attempts to appease him with the stuffed dog to no avail. 

“Danzou didn’t seem happy with it,” Mikoto says finally. “But the proposal went over well with the other clan heads. We’re going to start the reconstruction in a few months.”

Kakashi shrugs, saying nothing further. He wonders what Danzou’s game is with this. He doesn’t know the other man personally, just through rumor, but he files away the thought as something Asuma would probably be interested in hearing about after the comments he made the other day.

Mikoto finishes her tea, setting the cup down with a click. She rests her chin against her fist, tilting it to one side. Kakashi distractedly meets her gaze with a tired glance but goes back to thinking about ANBU and watching Gai make faces at Naruto. 

Mikoto sighs, then, “Kakashi,” she says. “You know we talked about your clan lands, too.”

And Kakashi didn’t really know. It’s not something he thinks about when he can help it. Time freezes for a moment, and Kakashi’s younger, and there’s blood spreading across the floor. There’s always so much blood.

Sasuke shrieks happily from across the table, breaking the memory into so many pieces. Kakashi finds that he’s still looking at Naruto, and the boy’s fully asleep. Gai reaches down to run a finger across his tiny forehead, and it makes something warm settle into his chest, pushing the old memories aside.

Kakashi shakes his head then, looking back to Mikoto. “I’m not interested,” he says, and Mikoto sighs again. 

“Kakashi, I know it’s not my place but…” Mikoto says, and Kakashi glares at her.

“Exactly, Mikoto. Drop it.” He says, and he can’t keep the anger out of his voice. He has no clan. Not anymore. Mikoto just looks tired again.

“Alright, alright,” she says, and stands up, stretching. “It’s time for us to go anyways.” She hefts Sasuke up into her arms and beckons for Itachi. Itachi bows politely at them, thanking them for the dango, and Kakashi gives him a small nod in return. Once they leave, he slumps back into his chair. He lets his head fall back, eyes closed for a moment, tilting the chair back until it’s balancing precariously.

“We forgot to tell Mikoto about Itachi’s training,” Kakashi mutters to himself. He feels a shift of the air and opens his eyes, only to find Gai’s face is right above him, directly in his vision. He nearly knocks the chair over before catching himself.

“Eternal Rival!” Gai bellows, too close for comfort. Naruto makes an unhappy face, and Kakashi stares openly. He’d never accuse Gai of being purposely sneaky - that doesn’t seem quite like his style, but the other shinobi does have a suspicious sense of timing sometimes. 

“Yes, Gai?” Kakashi asks, tilting his chair forward and sitting up a little bit straighter again.

“I believe our young companion here would enjoy it if you summoned your ninken,” Gai suggests, and Kakashi shrugs. Our young companion indeed. Maybe it’s not the most subtle of hints, but Gai smiles brightly at him and places a hand on his shoulder, and Kakashi summons his ninken, filling the small room. He doesn't need his clan lands when everything important is right here.

\---

Gai’s sitting cross-legged on the floor, frowning as he considers the options. On one hand, he is extremely tired. In fact, he would barely be able to keep his eyes open, if not for the vigorous power of his youth that’s keeping him lively. He feels his eyelids sinking, but straightens his back and strengthens his resolve to wait it out. He tried standard push-ups about an hour ago, but nearly fell asleep a few hundred in. From there, he figured that handstand push-ups were the solution, but as he woke himself up from nearly toppling over and having lost count part way through, he reconsidered that option. He’s pretty sure one of Kakashi’s dogs started laughing at him, too, but they’re all asleep now in various places around the main room. So, now he’s at a loss of what to do. 

The thing is - Kakashi fell asleep on the couch again, Naruto laying across his chest. Gai has noticed in the past few weeks of living with Kakashi that this is a terrible habit he has. Instead of keeping regular sleeping hours, Kakashi seems to fall asleep at a whim and wake up on one as well. So now, here they are in this predicament. Kakashi’s all but asleep for the night, and Naruto’s only sleeping temporarily. Gai knows that Naruto wakes up at least once each night, needing to be fed, and at this rate, Gai might as well stay awake to do the honors. Really, this is the best option for all involved. 

Unfortunately that leaves him with an indeterminate period of time left to sit very quietly and try not to wake either of them up. While also not falling asleep himself.

He’s waging another battle against his eyelids again. He vows that if he falls asleep now, he will run one thousand laps around Konoha in the morning. On his hands. He wishes, momentarily, that young Naruto could join him in this endeavor, and thinks perhaps when the child is older and less fragile, he would very much like to bring him along. When he’s even older than that, maybe he would be interested in joining Gai for training every morning. Gai nods vigorously to himself at the idea. He thinks it would be quite the best thing for a young child’s development to have daily exercise, and then he thinks perhaps Kakashi would join them. Perhaps they could all get matching training outfits...

Gai freezes as Kakashi’s nearest eye cracks open, the red of the sharingan standing out starkly against his face. Gai blushes suddenly with this bizarre thought that the sheer power of his mind woke Kakashi, and Kakashi is going to yet again turn down his dream of wearing matching training outfits. But Kakashi merely closes the eye again and mutters in a voice heavy with sleep, “Gai, go to bed. Stop staring at me.”

Gai’s face burns hotter at that, but he shakes his head no, knowing full well Kakashi can’t see him. He’s already made the vow to himself. He can’t break his promise. Kakashi sighs quietly in resignation, perhaps realizing as much, and Gai vows to wait it out for as long as it takes, even if Naruto sleeps through the entire night.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying something new here - this is a Mikoto POV chapter. I'm not planning on doing full side character POV chapters very often, but it fits here, so Kakashi, Gai, and Naruto will be back next week. :3 Thanks for reading!

Mikoto’s jounin gear has become her shield, her tight grasp to sanity as everything else around her has fallen apart. Her hands tremble only slightly as she slips it on, preparing for her second Uchiha clan meeting as clan head. This is the first one that she’s personally called, and today they will discuss the outcome of the village reconstruction meeting. It’s only been a week since the Hokage declared that the Uchiha Military Police Academy would be rebuilt and opened to all clans for applicants. Although it’s a better option than getting rid of it entirely, Mikoto knows there will be pushback from the clan. The tension between Uchiha and the rest of the village has never fully dissipated, and there are some Uchiha who would rather they stand alone, separate from the other clans, or perhaps separate from the village all together.

Kakashi and Gai are watching Sasuke today, but she’s decided to take Itachi with her. For starters, the last time she left Itachi with those two, he came back excited about senbon training with Shiranui Genma. Mikoto’s not so sure she’s happy about _that_ arrangement. Shiranui was in the Hokage guard for the Fourth, so it’s not his skill that she questions. It’s a little bit of her own prejudice shining through, she thinks, but mostly her worries over how other members of the clan will react to the clan heir being trained by an outsider. It’s a ridiculous worry, perhaps. Itachi will be in Academy soon anyways and once he graduates, he’ll have a jounin-sensei who will most likely not be Uchiha. Mikoto frowns thinking that maybe it’s not her own prejudice, but Fugaku’s that’s making her feel like this. She knows Fugaku would have wanted to continue to train Itachi himself or to have Itachi trained by another Uchiha clan member. She thinks maybe he would’ve been at least be critical of the arrangement with Genma, if not outright opposed to it.

Her hands pause momentarily in their movement as she realizes that she doesn’t really need to consider Fugaku’s opinions any longer. She doesn’t but… something in her heart tells her that she will likely continue to measure her own standards by his for a very long time. 

She lost so much that night - her husband, her best friend, so many members of her clan and her village. She sees it flash brightly in her eyes, branded with the unforgiving clarity of the sharingan. She imagines for a moment that she feels the blood pooling in the corner of her eyes again. Uchiha tend to gain things through loss, that much is true. But then she brings her forehead protector up to tie it in its rightful place, feeling its weight like a seal. This is not how she imagined her life going, but it’s what she must do for her village, for her clan, and for her family, and that’s all she can let herself think about right now, when she’s wearing this uniform.

Her neutral mask is carefully in place now as she finishes dressing and enters the main area where Itachi is waiting. His eyes have been so dark lately - she wishes she could see him smile again, like he used to with Sasuke. She places her hand gently on his head and nods at him, “Let’s go,” and he follows, silent as a shadow. 

They gather at the shrine, as they always do. Some of the clan members are vocally opposed to opening up the Military Police to non-Uchiha, but there’s really nothing to be done about it now. The Hokage himself has decreed it to be so, and Mikoto privately thinks it will be better for the Uchiha to work with other clans regardless. This is why she recommended the solution in the first place. The Military Police has always been a source of pride for the Uchiha, but it comes with problems of its own. Other clans feel like the Uchiha have been given special privileges over the village and are less likely to cooperate in other regards. The Hyuuga especially have always been very begrudging of this, and Mikoto hopes it will help to ease some of the tension there.

At any rate, at least there will be something to rebuild. Mikoto does _not_ mention Danzou’s original proposal or the fact that some of the other clan heads were initially for _that_ idea until she proposed a different one. That sort of thing would only cause more grief, and for now, grief is the last thing this village or this clan needs more of. By the end of the meeting, there’s a small dissenting faction, but its members are few in numbers, with many of the clan cautiously hopeful about the village’s renewed attitude towards the Uchiha. She even receives a few grudging nods of respect from some of the elder clan members, and something relaxes a bit in her chest at that.

After most of the other members file out of the building, she meets Itachi at the exit, with Shisui at his side. Shisui’s mother is notably absent from the meeting. Shisui lost his father during the Third Shinobi war, and his mother stays out of clan politics. Mikoto hasn’t met with her for a while, now that she thinks about it, although she remembers seeing her at the memorial and probably also at the meeting when Mikoto herself was named Clan Head. So many faces blurred across her vision during those first two weeks - it’s hard to say who she saw when.

She gives Itachi and Shisui both a tired smile.

“I see you’ve found your cousin,” she says to Itachi, and he nods at her, not saying anything in return. He’s always been a quiet child, but he seems exceptionally reserved over the past few weeks since they lost Fugaku. She wishes she could do something to change it, but she hasn’t figured out what, yet.

Shisui laughs in reply and then ruffles his younger cousin’s hair. “Itachi here must have missed me terribly.” That gets a scowl from Itachi and it disrupts the serious look on his face in such an adorable way that Mikoto nearly laughs out loud before she remembers herself and the situation. 

“Itachi mentioned he’s been training with a jounin?” Shisui continues, tilting his head at her, eyes dancing and curious as always.

Mikoto nods hesitantly, but notices no one else in the shrine who would be paying attention to their conversation. They are the last ones left now, and the sun’s already setting. “One of the Fourth’s guard members,” she replies, although she’s sure Itachi has already told Shisui all about it. 

Shisui looks at her thoughtfully. “Someone outside of the clan then,” he murmurs, echoing her own exact fears. For someone as young as Shisui to pick up on the strangeness of the arrangement, she wonders if she will receive pushback for it after all. Even tonight, although the overall mood was pleasant, a few did claim that this move was too radical and that Fugaku would’ve never accepted it. She mostly feels dismay at the idea. She’s not sure what Fugaku would’ve done in her place. She gives Shisui a sharp look, but he shakes his head at her.

“Ah, it’s nothing,” he says, and he bows then. “I’m often away from the village on missions, but I would be happy to train with Itachi as well.”

Mikoto considers this idea. Although not even genin-age, Shisui is already a chuunin and is very well-respected in their clan for his skills at such a young age. He’s also already developed his sharingan, and Mikoto thinks that given everything else, he would be the perfect role model for Itachi. 

Mikoto nods finally, thinking it would be a good solution all around. “Perhaps you can join when you are available,” she says. Shisui smiles at her, and Itachi looks at both of them hopefully. Mikoto thinks, perhaps, that maybe a little bit of Shisui’s influence will bring some of the happiness back in Itachi’s eyes as well. 

Shisui walks with them for a while on the way back, chatting to Itachi about his latest mission before he waves goodbye and heads his separate way to his own home.

Itachi hesitantly slips his hand into hers, nearly startling her out of her thoughts, and she smiles down at him. He smiles back carefully, something reserved in his expression, but a little lighter than it was earlier.

“We’re going to get Sasuke now?” He asks, a half-question more than anything.

Mikoto makes a noise of agreement, “And we’ll say hi to Naruto, too, while we’re there.” Itachi looks pleased with this, and nods in reply, going back to his own thoughts, whatever they are. Mikoto doesn’t press. She thinks he needs his own space, his own time to process what’s happened. 

She’s still processing, and she thinks she will be for a very long time. She can only be thankful that Naruto survived – that whatever happened to release the Nine-Tails hadn’t harmed the boy as far as anyone has been able to tell so far. Although, as much as it hurts her to see Kushina’s child, without his mother and father, she’s glad that the little boy has Kakashi and Gai to look after him. No matter that they are so young themselves, Kushina would’ve been proud of them both and more than happy with the arrangement. Mikoto thinks maybe if the situation would’ve been different, she might’ve taken Naruto in, raised him alongside Itachi and Sasuke. Part of her aches thinking about it, but she shakes her head, pushing back her tears. Kushina trusted Kakashi, _gave_ Naruto to him, and Mikoto thinks Kakashi would give his life for this mission. She will just have to do as much as she can to help them succeed.

“Itachi,” she says suddenly, and he looks up at her.

“Did you like training with Genma-san?” She asks, and he pauses, thinking things over in that quiet way that he has. He nods eventually, not elaborating. 

“I’m glad,” she says, and Itachi gives her a curious look at this. Her heart is breaking a little bit, and it’s hard to keep her voice steady as she continues, “He’s very skillful, but I’ll - I’ll have teach you some Uchiha jutsu sometime. I’m sure Shisui will as well, but –”

Itachi’s grip tightens on hers, and he looks up at her with more excitement than she’s seen out of him in a while. “I would like that very much,” he says, and Mikoto gives him a watery smile, still trying to blink the tears out of her eyes before they fall. Although she’s lost a lot of things in the past few weeks, she still has her sons, her clan, and her village. She has the promise of hope for their future. 

"That's good, Itachi," Mikoto replies, and then says nothing further as they continue on their way to pick up Sasuke, silence wrapping around them as the village grows quieter with the falling darkness. In the end, they are Uchiha, and Uchiha grow stronger through loss. 


	9. Chapter 9

Exactly one month after the Nine-Tails attack, Kakashi wakes up to a fairly normal morning if you can call anything normal in this bizarre new life he leads. Naruto’s crying quite loudly, _probably hungry_ , Kakashi thinks blearily, and Kakashi mechanically goes through the motions of changing the boy before stumbling into the kitchen with him. Gai greets them both with a huge smile, as usual, and a bright, “Good morning!” Kakashi’s more than grateful that the other man already has some food set out on the table for breakfast. He attempts to juggle feeding Naruto while also shoving food into his own mouth before Gai takes pity on him and pulls the kid out of his hands. He blinks, realizing the boy is missing a moment later, and he feels something warm curl in the pit of his stomach when he looks over to find Gai feeding him.

Kakashi left his forehead protector in the bedroom again. It's becoming something of a habit in the mornings. When confronted with a grumpy Naruto, Kakashi really can’t be bothered to put it on until he can get the kid settled down again. So he ends up like this, watching these moments with his vision both too sharp and nearly blurred while the sharingan analyzes every movement in its unforgiving clarity. But sometimes in these moments, something in him relishes the idea that this, too, will be branded into his memory like all of the other things he’d much rather forget about. Maybe one day the good memories will outweigh all of the blood.

By the time Gai hands Naruto back to Kakashi, Kakashi’s finally waking up and nearly done eating. He glances at the calendar out of habit, although there’s not been much to do recently other than taking care of the kid. The date stands out even more sharply than anything else in the room. _One month_ , he thinks, his breath catching in his lungs, and Naruto’s weight feeling warm and real in his hands. In some ways, these first few weeks of Naruto’s life have felt like a dream.

Gai pauses in his usual movements around the living area to tilt his head at Kakashi’s sudden change in demeanor. “What’s wrong?” he asks. 

“Ah, it’s just -” Kakashi shakes his head, “It’s been a month.” He tries to say it casually, but he’s sure it doesn’t come out that way. Gai nods in understanding regardless, and Kakashi stares down at Naruto, trying not to feel overwhelmed all over again. He still remembers that first day and everything he felt in those moments, perhaps not as sharply as before, but still as real as they had been at that time. 

“Your plant is doing quite well, you know,” Gai says, his voice bringing Kakashi’s thoughts to a complete halt. Kakashi drags his eyes away from Naruto to look at Gai in utter confusion.

“My plant,” Kakashi says, flatly, and then suddenly a spark of recollection runs through him. His _plant_. He _has_ a plant. At his actual apartment, where he hasn’t returned for an entire month. He’s not even sure if the electricity was ever turned back on again.

“Ah, yes, I’ve been watering it for you.” Gai nods sagely. “It’s doing quite well.” 

Kakashi blinks at him. “You.. have?”

Gai seems oblivious to Kakashi’s surprise, and continues, “Why of course! I noticed you hadn’t returned for a few days, so I stopped by on my morning runs. You will find everything in the same condition as you left it.”

Kakashi stares blankly at Gai for a moment. Sometimes he can’t begin process what’s going through Gai’s head. He doesn’t know why Gai does the things he does. Gai is completely, endlessly thoughtful. He thinks about things like this, things that Kakashi forgets about, or doesn’t hold with enough importance. Kakashi finally nods at him. “Thank you,” he says.

Gai smiles, huge and open, “No problem!”

And Kakashi’s heart does that thing again, where it maybe beats a little bit louder. He stands up. “I think I’ll just -” and he waves a hand, not even bothering to make a real excuse. Gai doesn’t seem to notice or care, he’s used to Kakashi’s eccentricities by now. They’re used to each other’s, in fact. Something constricts in Kakashi’s throat at that, and he doesn’t miss the fond look Gai gives him when Kakashi hands Naruto over to him.

Kakashi ends up at his old apartment again, but today is quite different than that first day. Gai really did keep his plant alive, he thinks wonderingly as he touches a leaf. He looks around the small, practically bare room. He’s never really _lived_ here, if he’s honest. It’s mostly been a place to crash between missions. Minato and Kushina’s apartment is starting to feel like home, although he can’t quite bring himself to call it that yet. He looks around at the stuff that’s left here, and decides to bring a few things over – the plant at the very least. He’s not quite ready to pack everything up and move out, but he thinks of the warm bright space that holds his life with Naruto and Gai, and he thinks that maybe he’ll be ready sometime in the not so distant future.

He’s carrying the plant over and a few other things when he runs into Genma. Genma quirks an eyebrow at him. “Going somewhere are we?”

Kakashi shrugs. “Ah, you know,” he says vaguely, and continues on, but Genma keeps up with his pace in an easy stride. Kakashi can feel his eye twitch in irritation at the other ninja’s actions, but he can't do much about it. He’s not exactly going to body-flicker across Konoha holding a plant of all things.

Genma gestures at the plant, “I could hold that for you,” he offers, and Kakashi slants his eyes at Genma as if to ask why the other ninja is still even there in the first place. Gemma frowns, looking away, but keeps up his pace next to Kakashi. 

The thing is, Genma and Kakashi have never been friends. Genma is just Gai’s genin teammate who Kakashi has been somehow forced into interacting with due to Gai’s influence. Kakashi doesn’t particularly dislike Genma, but he doesn’t particularly want to chat either. He's not going to encourage the other ninja, that's for sure. 

Genma sighs then, the senbon in his mouth twitching in irritation. “Come on, Kakashi. I just want to see the kid, okay?” He says finally, voice rough, and that brings Kakashi to a halt, right in the middle of the path, holding the plant up like it's a shield.

Kakashi stares at Genma for a moment as the pieces lock together in his mind. He realizes that for Genma, today is also the one month anniversary of losing someone important to him. Someone he vowed to protect but feels as if he failed. Someone whose final legacy lives on through Naruto. Kakashi nods after a long pause and holds the plant out as a peace offering of sorts. “Okay,” he says, relenting. “You can carry it.”

Genma accepts the plant, and Kakashi’s eyes slide back to the path ahead of them. He refuses to think of how Gai will react upon their arrival, and they walk back in companionable silence. 

Thankfully, Gai merely raises an eyebrow when Kakashi returns with both Genma and the plant trailing in behind him. Kakashi shrugs in reply to Gai’s eyebrow, and Genma puts the plant on the table before making a beeline towards Naruto. Gai immediately starts catching Genma up to speed on all of the new things Naruto’s started to do since Genma last saw them. It can't be many things, Kakashi thinks blandly, but at the same time, he feels like time is slipping past him.

He sets his bag down in the guest room, and then goes back to the kitchen to put the plant on the windowsill. He thinks the sunlight here is probably better for it. 

He touches one of the plant’s leaves, half-wondering how he forgot about it for so long, and half feeling like it hasn’t been that long at all. He realizes he hasn’t gone to the memorial stone in all this time either. Hasn’t talked to Obito or Rin. He feels a twinge of guilt at that, but also thinks neither Obito nor Rin would fault him for looking after Naruto first over everything else. Regardless, he thinks he’ll make a stop there soon and not leave it for so long like he did before.

He’s reluctant to rejoin Genma and Gai in the main area, but it’s not like he can hide in the kitchen all day. His options are fairly limited unless he wants to escape back into the guest bedroom. Which, to be frank, is not the most dignified thing he can do in this situation. But then Genma laughs, the sound ringing out clearly throughout the apartment, shocking in its suddenness and surprising given the earlier mood. The sound draws Kakashi eyes back to the main area finally, his curiosity getting the better of him. Gai’s smiling as well, but that’s a given. Genma’s beaming at Naruto, who has his little fingers wrapped around one of Genma’s larger ones. 

“In a few months, you’ll have to be careful with that hair of yours,” Kakashi comments, and Genma’s face is so open and wondering when he looks at Kakashi that Kakashi can hardly stand to look back. Kakashi thinks he understands without Genma saying anything at all, though. It’s amazing to think that in a few months, Naruto will be at Sasuke’s level of mobility and reaching out for everything in his sights.

“Well, I suppose we’ll have to wait on showing him how to hold a kunai properly,” Genma responds fondly, and Kakashi has thought about that too. How eventually Naruto will be the one that they will all get to teach ninja techniques to. He can’t imagine what Naruto will be like when he’s Itachi’s age and ready to go to Academy. It’s too far away to even fathom how the years will pass. 

Gai interrupts that train of thought, clearing his throat. “Of course Naruto will be a mighty taijutsu master like myself. He already embodies the youthful spirit that is necessary for this vigorous endeavor!”

Kakashi and Genma both give each other the same look, and Kakashi thinks that maybe Genma’s alright. After all, he’s probably the only other person aside from Kakashi who understands Gai at this level, and that’s a special sort of bond to have with a person. 

“And you can tell that already?” Genma asks, a smile in his voice.

Gai nods excitedly, “Oh yes, he seems very interested when I take him for walks in the mornings. I am sure he is eager to join me on my daily runs!”

Kakashi snorts at that, but privately enjoys the idea of Gai training Naruto - at an appropriate age for learning taijutsu of course. A knock at the door interrupts that train of thought, and Kakashi looks at Gai, wondering if he’s expecting someone. Gai shrugs and shakes his head, so Kakashi goes to get the door, leaving the other two with Naruto.

To Kakashi’s surprise when he opens the door, Kurenai’s there smiling brightly with Asuma beside her. Kurenai practically pushes past Kakashi, and Asuma shrugs as if to say, _what can you do?_

“What is this, a reunion?” Kakashi mutters, but steps aside to let him in as well. In the background he hears Genma laughing again, and Kurenai greeting Naruto in a sing-song voice. 

Asuma gives him an appreciative look, and asks, “How are you holding up?”

Kakashi shrugs in reply, and gestures to where Kurenai’s pulling Naruto out of Genma’s arms. “What does it look like?”

Asuma laughs then and shakes his head at Kakashi. “Never thought this would be your life, huh?”

“No, not for a second,” Kakashi replies honestly, and Asuma claps a hand across his back, mimicking one of Gai’s favorite gestures. Luckily Asuma’s lacks a little bit of Gai’s overzealousness. Kakashi pushes his hands into his pockets, wishing he had something to distract himself with.

“Well it looks like you guys are doing alright from where I’m standing,” Asuma says, and Kakashi shrugs again, trying not to feel claustrophobic with all of the people in the small apartment. Asuma lets him be finally, and Kakashi finds himself leaning against the counter where he can safely observe the proceedings without getting too involved in them. 

Sometimes he wonders how these four ended up being friends - they’re all so different. He’s not even sure when Gai started hanging around with Asuma and Kurenai. He thinks it must’ve been recently in the past few years. Probably sometime after Obito, after Rin. He tries not to think about them again - _his_ team - but it’s hard not to when surrounded by Gai’s friends, and one of Gai’s genin teammates, in the house of his sensei. 

The air shifts as Gai appears next to him, and Kakashi wonders if he had his eyes closed. He thinks maybe he might be losing it again. 

“Yo, Kakashi,” Gai says, bumping against Kakashi’s shoulder in greeting. “You don’t have to be so cool about everything all the time.”

Kakashi would roll his eyes if he weren’t trying to keep himself from crying. He thinks Gai probably knows this, but he’s determined that he’s not going break down in front of them all again. Genma’s still holding Naruto like he’s the most precious things he’s ever seen, and Kurenai’s smiling widely. Asuma’s hovering over them all, looking fondly down at Kurenai in a highly suspicious way. Kakashi tries to focus on these details, the people who are here now. The past keeps creeping in but -

“Yosh!” Gai says abruptly, and thumps Kakashi across the back in his overly friendly manner. Kakashi stands straight up, the unexpected pain cutting through the fog. When he looks over to his friend, Gai’s grinning.

“Naruto has been with us for an entire month as of today! We should celebrate!” Gai says, and Kakashi can’t find any hidden motives on Gai’s face. Kakashi laughs out loud, partially in shock, partially in - he’s not sure what else, to be honest. Kurenai gives him a sort of surprised look at the sound, and Kakashi ignores it. He knows there’s more to Gai than meets the eye, but instead of analyzing any of this further, he rolls his eyes, letting the past slip away again, leaving it for another day. “Alright, alright, we can celebrate,” he says, and the look Gai gives him at that is worth the effort. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how it happened, but this is somehow the longest chapter yet ^^;; Thank you for the continuous support! The comments on this are always so fantastic, and I appreciate everyone who is reading along!!


	10. Chapter 10

Kakashi’s summoned to the Hokage tower only a week after the impromptu one month birthday party for Naruto. He’s not too happy about the timing. It’s pretty easy to put the pieces together to come to a few conclusions, none of them things Kakashi wants to think about any time soon. The council could be finally putting up some sort of resistance against the idea of him and Gai raising the kid. Or maybe it’s about ANBU. Kakashi was in ANBU prior to his special assignment guarding Kushina, so maybe the Third wants him back again. Kakashi’s not sure which possibility is worse.

When he arrives at the Hokage office, he manages to use the proper entrance and talk to the Hokage’s secretary and everything. Although Minato hadn’t held the office for very long, Kakashi still almost expects to see his sensei behind those doors when they’re opened. But when Kakashi’s announced, the Professor is sitting at the desk and pushing some papers aside as he waves Kakashi in. 

Kakashi ducks his head in something like embarrassment at the formality of it all, but then bows more fully and clears his throat. “Yes, Professor, is there something I can do for you?”

Sarutobi doesn’t answer right away, and Kakashi doesn’t mind. He’s reluctant to hear the reply. This past month he’s carefully built this new life, and it feels like there’s so much more yet to do there. Above all, however, he is still a loyal ninja of Konoha and can’t neglect his duties to his village. Sarutobi finally sighs, steepling his fingers and glancing at Kakashi above them. “What do you think of the seal?” he asks. The question catches Kakashi so far off guard that for a moment, Kakashi has no idea what the Professor is talking about.

“The seal?” He repeats, standing up a bit straighter, and then pauses, “Naruto’s seal, you mean?”

The Hokage nods, eyes still intent on Kakashi’s reaction. “You know what it contains, do you not?”

Kakashi all but glares at him, something like relief and exasperation coursing through him. Of all things to bring him into this office about. “Of course I do - I know what Minato did. Half the village does.”

Sarutobi looks troubled at that, and frowns, “I guess word does get around quickly. I don’t want it to affect the boy, but -”

Kakashi cuts him off, shaking his head, “We won’t let it. I mean, Gai and me.” He feels sure of this, that no harm will come to Naruto unless it comes through him and Gai both, and although Gai’s a little nutty sometimes, there’s something to be said for the Great Green Beast of Konoha.

Sarutobi clears his throat and nods, “I’m sure you have good intentions, Kakashi, but the seal itself might not be stable.”

“Minato himself did it, Professor,” Kakashi says, although something uncertain clings to the back of his mind. Of course, if anyone could seal a tailed beast during the heat of a battle, it would be Minato-sensei. But given the circumstances, Kakashi has to admit that maybe some concern is warranted. 

He frowns, letting the thought linger, and Sarutobi nods in reply at what he’s left unspoken. “I see that perhaps you share some of my concerns,” Sarutobi says.

Kakashi doesn’t quite know what they would do about it though. They lost two of their finest sealing masters that day, and it’s not like Konoha was ever full of them to begin with. Unless…

“Could Jiraiya look at it?” Kakashi asks then. Jiraiya’s status is generally unknown, although Kakashi has insider knowledge that he’s on a permanent mission to gather intel as he travels around from bathhouse to bathhouse. The sorts of intel he gathers there is suspect at best, but he was Minato’s own sensei after all, so Kakashi does trust the man. Well, mostly. To some degree. Kushina had some choice words to say about the Toad Sage, but in the end, she seemed to like him well enough, too. Jiraiya hasn’t been back to Konoha in a while though - Kakashi thinks the last time was right when Minato and Kushina found out they were going to have Naruto. And Jiraiya was notably absent from the memorial.

“I had considered that, if you think it necessary,” Sarutobi nods slowly. “Jiraiya’s on a bit of a… long-term assignment, so we shall say.” 

“Has he heard the news at least?” Kakashi asks quietly, and Sarutobi looks grim. 

“Yes,” Sarutobi replies, and Kakashi frowns at that as well. What can he say really? Jiraiya heard the news. Surely he knows the implications. Kakashi wonders if Jiraiya cares about meeting his own godson. Something in his chest twists painfully at the thought. Would Jiraiya have come back for Naruto if Kakashi hadn’t been there to help? The look in Sarutobi’s eyes makes Kakashi think maybe he wouldn’t have.

“Kakashi…” Sarutobi says, frowning, “The situation with Jiraiya is… complicated.”

Anger pools hotly in Kakashi’s gut and he shakes his head, “If I may, Hokage-sama,” he says, and he’s never this formal with the Professor, he has never really given him the amount of respect the leader of the village probably deserves, but formality feels like the only thing he can hold onto in this moment. 

“If I may -” Kakashi repeats, “ _Naruto’s_ situation is complicated, Hokage-sama. He’s a month old child with a demon sealed inside of him. Both of his parents died the night of his birth. Has a tailed beast ever been sealed inside a child before? Do we know what could happen to him? Jiraiya’s his own damn godfather, Hokage-sama. He better well come here and take a look at the seal if nothing else.”

Kakashi’s eyes widen as he realizes that he’s been ranting to the Hokage of all people, and maybe Gai’s rubbing off on him in the worst way, because he snaps his mouth shut and is grateful for the mask that covers most of whatever emotion is showing on his face.

The Professor looks disquieted, but the moment passes and then he merely looks tired. “You’re right, of course, Kakashi,” he sighs. “I suppose with everything else, I have been being too lenient on my students, haven’t I?”

Kakashi says nothing further, because he’s pretty sure the Hokage is practically _apologizing_ to him, and he’s not going to push his luck. Although he privately agrees. Tsunade hasn’t been seen in years, and who knows what Orochimaru’s up to these days. There are rumors at the very least... 

Sarutobi nods again, “Alright, I’ll send word to Jiraiya.”

Kakashi bows deeply before he leaves, and then escapes before the Hokage can mention anything about a possible reassignment. He pushes his hands deep into his pockets on his walk home, lost in thought.

\---

Gai’s not the type of person who worries. Typically, as a man of action, he finds that passionately jumping in head first works out pretty well in most situations. And in others, well, some solid effort goes a long way to get him out of most things. Anyways, as a shinobi, it’s best not too think too far into the future. But he has to admit that when Kakashi received the summons to the Hokage tower earlier in the day, Gai found himself _concerned_. Perhaps it’s Kakashi’s influence or a newfound reaction to the future now that he has little Naruto in his life. Regardless, it’s an usual feeling, and although he tried to brush it aside, after Kakashi actually left to go see what the Hokage wants, Gai can’t help but consider some of the broader implications of such a meeting.

Most likely and most concerning, Gai thinks it’s possible that Hokage-sama wants Kakashi back on his ANBU squad. This is, of course, a most noble and respect-worthy position for any shinobi to be trusted with, but it doesn’t suit Kakashi’s personality very well. Gai shudders to remember Kakashi’s time in ANBU. It seems so long ago now. Kakashi threw himself into his ANBU missions with a dangerous single-mindedness that bordered on recklessness. Gai’s all for youthful expressions of passion towards one’s goals, but this was something different altogether. Kakashi became even more distant than usual, less interested in rivalry challenges. He spent more and more time on highly secretive and specialized missions where he returned injured or blank-eyed. The blankness was the worst part, Gai thinks. 

Kakashi’s always been very reluctant towards their rivalry, but never so reluctant as when he was in ANBU. Rumors spread about him - more than usual. Gai would never believe them, but of course they were still concerning. 

Naruto seems to have changed all of that. Kakashi and Naruto are nearly inseparable. Gai’s pretty sure from what Mikoto has told them, and he’s double checked his notes even, that babies do not need to be held constantly, but Kakashi insists on holding Naruto nearly every waking minute and many of the sleeping ones, too. He takes naps with Naruto laying on top of him, he sits with Naruto next to him on a pillow on the couch, he carries Naruto around with him in a sling around his chest. Gai thinks Kakashi must get bored, with not much to do at the moment, but he seems content to just spend time with Naruto. Okay, that part is a little concerning, so Gai’s taken to trying to get Kakashi out of the apartment as much as possible. There’s been a dango shop visit here and there, some stealthily-planned visits with a few of the other jounin, and sometimes they just take walks in the market, while Gai pointedly ignores the stares of the villagers. He’s always received them anyways due to his unusual amount of youthful energy, so he’s not too concerned. He thinks maybe they still bother Kakashi to some degree, though.

Kakashi still has his dark moments, and Gai thinks maybe he always will - that’s just the sort of guy Kakashi is - but Naruto brings some happiness into Kakashi’s eyes that Gai’s never seen before. And Gai wants to make sure he does everything to ensure that will continue to happen in the future. 

So when Kakashi returns from the Hokage tower, Gai can’t help but be immediately curious as to what could have transpired there. Kakashi seems out of sorts, but not depressed. Gai gives him a cheery, “Welcome back!” but Kakashi doesn’t say anything in return. He just nods at Gai and makes a beeline for Naruto. Gai dutifully hands him over. Kakashi’s usually too cool to give responses anyways.

Gai tries not to wonder what it would be like if Kakashi did end up going on ANBU missions again. He thinks Naruto would probably get lonely, although Gai would do his best to cheer him up. 

“What did the honorable Hokage-sama wish to talk about?” Gai asks finally, as casually as possible, but he knows he will never match Kakashi’s own casualness. Kakashi raises an eyebrow at him, and Gai feels his face heat a bit. Okay, so maybe he’s not the most subtle person on the planet, but what’s the point of being subtle anyways? 

Kakashi rolls his eyes at Gai - quite unfairly Gai thinks - and then points down at Naruto. Naruto flails a fist at Kakashi's hand and squeals happily.

“This,” Kakashi says. “The kid.”

Gai feels his mouth go dry and his eyes widen slightly. Surely Hokage-sama wouldn’t have any issues with the way they are raising Naruto. They are very dutifully following all of the instructions Mikoto gave them, and so far he thinks they are doing quite well. Perhaps it could be the council? He shakes his head, unable to contain his questions.

Kakashi takes pity on him apparently before Gai can start the interrogation, because he says, “The seal, specifically.” And he lowers Naruto, pulling him in closer to his chest. 

Gai frowns at that. He doesn’t know much about the seal, about the Nine-Tails - he thinks Kakashi probably knows more than what they saw happen that night - but he does know that somehow that demon is sealed inside this little boy, and Gai’s going to do everything in his power to protect him.

“Is there something wrong with it?” Gai asks, and Kakashi shrugs.

“Doubt it, but the Professor’s going to send for Jiraiya to take a look.” Kakashi replies, and Gai nods at that. The Fourth Hokage’s own sensei - the Toad Sage, Jiraiya - if anyone will be able to check on the seal, it’s him. 

“That’s all, then?” Gai asks, again aiming for casual but perhaps missing the mark. Kakashi nods though, not paying much attention now and asking Naruto how his day has been. Gai finds it exceedingly adorable, and he’s overcome with happiness and relief that the Hokage summons wasn’t a reassignment just yet. He knows the day will come when they will have missions to go on and other duties around the village, probably soon in fact, but for now he’s glad to have this time with Naruto and Kakashi for as long as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe it's nearly 2018!! This is actually the last chapter for the year - I'll be taking next week off for the holidays :3 So Chapter 11 will go up on January 3. Have a great rest of the year everyone! <3


	11. Chapter 11

Genma’s known Gai for quite a while. He remembers Gai chasing Kakashi around since their Academy days, strange leg-warmers and all, and of course Genma also had the dubious privilege of being on the same genin team with the overly energetic man. So he’s well aware of how meddling Gai can be when he gets his mind set to something. What he wasn’t aware of, however, until much more recently was how much of Gai’s influence had already rubbed off on Kakashi. Perhaps it’s just that Genma never paid much attention to Kakashi. Kakashi was always the goal that Gai chased after - the living, breathing, human goal who also tended to ignore Gai half the time. But lately, Kakashi’s seemed almost _happy_ , and it’s starting to get really weird.

In fact, Genma has some pretty strong suspicions about Kakashi, but perhaps that’s neither here nor there.

Anyways, other than the unexpected devotion towards Naruto, Kakashi’s ever-so-helpful suggestion about senbon training seemed much more of a Gai-inspired quality than anything Genma ever imagined coming organically from Kakashi himself. It’s been nearly two months now, since the day Genma met up with them at the dango shop. He thinks about the hesitant way Itachi looked at him, the kid having just lost his father. Genma shakes his head, remembering how he couldn’t say no to that. 

It’s worked out better than expected. In fact, Genma can’t complain about Itachi’s part in the deal. The kid’s taken to senbon like a fish to water. He was already better at shurikenjutsu than some chuunin Genma knows, so it wasn’t unexpected but it’s a little scary how fast he picks stuff up. Itachi’s supposed to start Academy in April, but Genma doubts he’ll learn much there. And Itachi’s seemed to _flourish_ for lack of a better word at their weekly training.

The first one was a little awkward, the kid all dark and lonely eyes, Genma unsure of how to proceed, but Genma is a master of the art, so to speak, and Itachi seems endlessly drawn to learning more, so they ended up getting along pretty well after all. Genma worries a little bit what will happen when he’s eventually re-assigned, but for now the village is still not taking outside missions yet, so they have time.

When he finally makes it to the training grounds today, there are two Uchiha brats blinking at him from across the field. They were obviously already sparring, and Genma wonders how long they’ve been here already. The second one’s a bit taller, a bit older, and has messy, curly hair, completely unlike Itachi’s own. Genma recognizes him immediately and tries not to show any indication on his face. Uchiha Shisui. A legend in his own right, even as young as he is. Genma has a brief moment of wondering whether it’s a test of some sort - if the Uchiha want to keep an eye on this outsider who is training one of their own - but Shisui smiles widely at him as he makes his way over to greet them both, and the smile reaches Shisui’s eyes, lighting them up in a way that Itachi’s never quite do.

So Genma does what he always does, shifting into a relaxed stance and asking Itachi in a dry voice, “What? Are you multiplying?” 

Itachi frowns at him, but Shisui laughs outright and bows.

“Uchiha Shisui,” he says, “I’m here to join my cousin, if it’s not too much trouble, jounin-san.”

Genma gives it a brief moment of thought, but there’s not much he can do if the Uchiha want to keep an eye on him, and this kid seems okay besides. He nods at Shisui, “Sure, sure, but just call me Genma.”

Genma wonders how much of what he’s heard about _this_ Uchiha is true. From rumors and what little Itachi has mentioned, he was expecting something like an older version of Itachi, but instead Shisui is still smiling and ruffling his younger cousin’s hair. Itachi’s frowning in a very undignified manner, and Genma thinks he could really get used to having someone like Shisui around to help loosen the younger brat up a bit.

Genma gestures at Shisui with a hand that’s currently full of senbon. “Well, let’s see what you can do then,” he says, and Shisui’s grin spreads even wider across his face, turning into something that’s a little more vicious.

If Itachi surprised them all on that first day with his skill, Shisui somehow makes Itachi look like he is an Academy student after all. Shisui is both impossibly similar and impossibly opposite to Itachi at the same time. He has the same grace, but his movements are more chaotic and unpredictable, perhaps more battle-tested. The difference probably laying in the fact that Shisui has gone on more missions and has had more practical applications of training than Itachi has. Regardless, Genma wonders what the Uchiha are putting in their food to be raising such little monsters. He tries not to appear impressed when he finally calls an end to their sparring, but it’s not an easy feat. In a few years, or maybe even sooner, this kid is going to be unstoppable, Genma thinks, and wonders if the same could be said for Itachi as well.

Genma gives the kid an approving nod. He’s not much of a teacher, but he thinks it’s pretty easy to work with such raw talent. “We’re meeting up weekly,” he says. “You’re welcome to join when you can.” 

Itachi nods, too, and Genma’s known the kid long enough now that he can tell when the younger boy is excited. Shisui must notice as well, because he gives Itachi a fond look. Well, at least Itachi has that going for him. It doesn’t seem like he has many friends his own age, but Shisui’s not that much older, and his personality would do good to balance out some of Itachi’s seriousness. 

“Alright brats,” Genma says cheerfully, feeling less wary of Shisui’s intentions and more excited about the idea of training with them together. “Now it’s time to actually get to work.”

\---

After training, Genma heads off to do whatever it is that the jounin are doing while the village isn’t accepting outside missions, and Itachi and Shisui remain at the training ground. It’s only mid-afternoon, and Itachi’s tired, but not completely worn out. He’s running through some katas, while Shisui’s sitting on a low branch above him, kicking his feet back and forth. 

“He’s suspicious of me,” Shisui says, and Itachi pauses in his movements to look up at his older cousin. “He thinks I’m a spy.”

“A spy?” Itachi asks, frowning, and Shisui nods before hopping down to stand in front of Itachi. He mimics the stance Itachi’s currently in, so Itachi starts moving again and his cousin mirrors his actions.

“He thinks Aunt Mikoto sent me here to keep an eye on your training,” Shisui continues, his tone light, but the implication sounding pretty serious.

“She didn’t…” Itachi says, trailing off, but after a moment of uncertainty, he asks, “Did she?”

“Hmm, maybe,” Shisui laughs, giving Itachi a big grin and a conspiratorial look. “You are the clan heir after all.”

Itachi shakes his head at his older cousin, knowing he won’t get the truth out of him, or at least he won’t get anything serious out of him. Instead Itachi says, “I like training with Genma-san. I don’t want to go to Academy.”

Shisui gives him a confused look. “Why not?”

Itachi stops the katas, nearly sighing and shrugs, “It will be boring. I would learn more if I just kept training with you or with him.”

Shisui frowns at him in reply. “There’s more to Academy than learning new jutsu, Itachi…”

Itachi scowls at his cousin. “But you graduated early!” he says, and Shisui gives him a considering look.

“I suppose I did after all…” Shisui admits. They stand in silence for a moment, as if Shisui’s thinking through something, and Itachi’s not sure what else to say. He doesn’t really know how Shisui graduated early, but maybe he can do the same. He’d really rather just keep training. The other people his age are too different. They want to play at being ninjas rather than training to actually be strong enough to protect people. Itachi’s not sure what the point of it is. What’s the point of anything other than getting strong enough to protect people like Sasuke and Naruto?

Shisui shrugs, finally, “I guess it couldn’t hurt,” he says, and Itachi looks over at him.

“What?” He asks, something hopeful stirring at Shisui’s comment.

“I can teach you a trick,” Shisui says and smiles sharply at him. “Something for when you go to Academy.”

Itachi nods, interested already. He knows he’s supposed to be excited about Academy, and he knows his mother is excited for him to attend, but he just can’t bring himself to care. He feels thrilled that Shisui understands and wants to help. 

Shisui continues, “We’ll have to practice it in secret though. It’s a jounin-level jutsu, and I don’t think Aunt Mikoto would be very happy to learn that I’m teaching you ways to skip out on Academy lessons.” Shisui sticks his tongue out at that, and Itachi rolls his eyes.

“I’m not going to tell her, Shisui.” Itachi says, and he knows Shisui knows that it’s true. Itachi’s very good at keeping secrets. “What is it?” he asks. 

Shisui makes some hand signs, almost too fast for Itachi to catch. “Shadow Clone,” Shisui says, and a second copy of him appears next to the first.

Itachi tilts his head at the copy, looking it over carefully, “It’s not just a regular clone?”

The first Shisui shakes his head, but the second Shisui is the one who answers, “Even a sharingan user can’t tell the difference between us now.”

Itachi's eyes widen at that. “How about byakugan?”

Shisui shakes his head, “Nope, the only way to distinguish a shadow clone from the real thing is to hit one hard enough that it disappears.” 

“Teach me,” Itachi says then, unable to control the wonder in his voice. It's an immediate, all-consuming desire. He knows what he wants to do with this. He can think of dozens of uses. If Itachi can get good enough at this technique, he can send the shadow clone to Academy and no one else would be the wiser. He could continue training in secret, maybe even meet up with Shisui when Shisui’s free. Both copies of Shisui grin at him, and Itachi's sure he couldn't tell them apart if he hadn't seen the clone being formed.

“There are a few other drawbacks, but we can work through them together.” Shisui says. “When the clone disappears, all of its memories come back to you at once. The first few times are really rough…”

Itachi nods, half-listening, but mostly he’s just eager to get started. He attempts the hand signs Shisui did, but can't get them quite right the first time. 

“Alright, alright, I guess I'll just show you,” Shisui laughs. “It'll take a lot of practice, but I'm sure you can do it. You’ll be better than me in no time.”

Itachi's pretty sure this wasn't what his mother intended to happen when she agreed that Shisui should help Itachi with training, but now, Itachi thinks, Academy is not sounding so boring after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trying two new perspectives today... :3 I hope everyone's enjoying the new year!


	12. Chapter 12

Mikoto invites Kakashi and Gai over to make mochi on the day before New Year celebrations begin. They bundle Naruto up in so many layers of clothes that he looks like a mochi himself, and Gai’s eyes sparkle brightly with something Kakashi’s pretty sure are manly tears. Kakashi rolls his eyes, but the walk over through the crisp air feels nostalgic in a peculiar way, and he finds himself thinking about his father.

Kakashi’s never helped anyone make mochi before. He thinks maybe it reminded his father too much of what he had lost, but Kakashi never knew anything different, so it’s hard to say. Instead, he remembers walking to the markets with his father in the winter. They would go to the stalls before they closed for the New Year celebrations. Sakumo would buy mochi and mandarins, and sometimes he’d let Kakashi sneak a mochi on the way home. Sometimes they saw Gai and his father, Dai, and Kakashi remembers trying to avoid the embarrassing duo, generally to no avail. He looks over to Gai and wonders if Gai had the same experience growing up without a clan or a larger family. Gai catches him looking.

“What is it, Kakashi?” Gai asks, smiling at him in a fond way that makes heat creep up into his face, chasing away the cold.

Kakashi shakes his head, turning his eyes away and back to the path ahead of them. Naruto’s pressed snugly up against his chest, wrapped in many layers and nestled in his sling. 

“Ah, just wondering if you have ever made mochi before…” Kakashi says vaguely, and Gai nods vigorously. 

“Oh yes! Many times!” Gai says, and the reply catches Kakashi off guard. He glances over at Gai again before he can help himself, seeing the happy look on the other man’s face. Gai continues, “We made them every year for the New Year!”

“Really…” Kakashi breathes, wondering, thinking of how different their experiences could be. “But those times I met you at the market, when we were younger…?” He trails off.

Gai seems to consider this, and then nods thoughtfully. “Ah, right. Sometimes the results didn’t turn out so well.”

The honest reply startles a laugh out of Kakashi, and Gai smiles at him in return. 

“Did you?” Gai asks, and Kakashi shakes his head.

“I think it made my father too sad,” Kakashi answers quietly, and saying it outloud feels strangely intimate. He can’t remember the last time he mentioned his father to anyone. It’s been years, perhaps. 

Gai’s quiet for a moment at that, and they are getting closer to Mikoto’s house anyways, so Kakashi’s prepared to let the topic drop, but then Gai says, “Well now we can make mochi with Naruto, so he will always have happy memories about it.”

Kakashi firmly looks at the path ahead, but he thinks that maybe he can’t be blamed if a few manly tears prickle the corner of his eyes at that as well.

\---

Mikoto welcomes them warmly at the door. She introduces Shisui’s mother, Hiromi, who is in the kitchen, scooping steamed rice into a huge, heavy bowl. Hiromi stops briefly to bow and trade greetings. She’s not a ninja herself, but her husband was and he died during the third war. Shisui must support their family now, Kakashi thinks. Hiromi gives Naruto a curious look, but mainly comments on how adorable he is. Kakashi’s not sure if she knows whose son he really is - not many people do. 

Itachi and Shisui are both sitting on the floor with Sasuke, who’s starting to become more mobile and nearly crawling by now. Mostly he just scoots around, as Itachi gives him encouragement and support when needed. He’s also very talkative, although none of what he says makes sense. Itachi seems to listen regardless, with a careful tilt of his head and a polite reply. When Sasuke shrieks at them in greeting, Itachi nods with something like a smile in his eyes. It’s rare to see the kid happy, but Kakashi thinks he’s seemed more so in the last month. Shisui stands up to greet them and to say hi to Naruto.

Kakashi starts the long process of unwrapping Naruto from his many layers, but Mikoto laughs at him brightly. “Oh, don't bother, Kakashi. We’ll be going outside in just a minute,” she says.

Hiromi finishes filling the large bowl with rice, and Gai lifts the whole thing up and says, “Okay, where to?”

“Follow me,” Mikoto says, leading them out to the rear area of the house. Kakashi’s still clutching at the warm bundle in his arms. The bundle wiggles suspiciously and flails his chubby little hand, smacking Kakashi square in the chin, but Kakashi doesn’t even flinch at that. 

He watches as Gai and Mikoto get the bowl set up and begin smashing the rice into a dough. Itachi appears not long after carrying a freshly bundled up Sasuke, followed by Shisui and  Hiromi. 

Once the mochi dough is formed, Mikoto grabs a mallet, and Gai folds the dough over on itself as she brings the mallet down into the bowl with a thump. Gai trades with her eventually, and Kakashi thinks that Gai could probably do this all afternoon, but Mikoto finally motions to Kakashi.

“You should take a turn as well,” she says with a soft smile, and Gai grins, too, giving him a thumbs up and offering the mallet. 

Kakashi hands Naruto over to Mikoto and accepts the mallet from Gai. “I suppose I might as well,” he shrugs.

Gai nods enthusiastically, “I’ll knead the dough! We’ll make the best mochi ever!”

After his turn with the mallet, Kakashi now sees why Sakumo bought mochi at the market each year.

“Isn't there an easier way to do this?” He asks, as he takes a turn being the one to stretch out the dough and fold it back in on itself, but there’s no heat in his voice. He thinks there’s something in him that finds this whole process enjoyable.

Mikoto laughs again, nodding, “Of course there is, but this is traditional.”

Kakashi groans, “We’re doing it the easy way next year.”

Gai grins at him, “Surely you are up to the challenge, my eternal rival!”

Kakashi rolls his eyes, and Shisui laughs. Kakashi points to the two younger boys, “Why don't they take a turn?”

Shisui hops up, eager to accept the suggestion. Itachi is more reluctant, but his cousin goads him into it, and soon they are both laughing as Itachi tries to quickly knead the dough before Shisui brings the mallet back down. Kakashi thinks he's never heard Itachi laugh before, and that nostalgic feeling washes over him again.

“Maybe it's not so bad,” he mutters, and Mikoto bumps his shoulder in an affectionate manner.

“There's a reason for keeping up with traditions, Kakashi,” she says, and she hands Naruto back to him. 

Kakashi feels a strange longing at her words, something to do with clan, which he’s never really had. The Hatake clan has been gone long before his birth. His father and he were the last two, but now it’s just down to him, and he doesn’t even know the traditions to keep up with them. 

He frowns, looking down at Naruto. Naruto’s cheeks are slightly red with the cold, and his little whisker marks stand out more than ever. Kakashi runs a finger across them fondly. Over the months, he’s started to find them cute, of all things. It’s hard to remember, sometimes, the significance of them. _Pack_ , he thinks. He’s still not exactly sure what Naruto will be to him, but he is definitely pack, and Kakashi supposes that having a pack is better than a clan anyways, because he can choose who belongs there. 

Gai joins Hiromi in cheering on Itachi and Sasuke, and Kakashi finds himself watching the other jounin and thinking that Gai is pack, too. The thought surprises him briefly, but he doesn’t have time to think about it too much, because Mikoto declares that they are ready to form the dough into mochi, and Gai lifts the heavy bowl up and carries it back into the house. 

\---

Sitting around the bowl of mochi dough, hands covered in starch, watching Kakashi form mochi with Naruto sleeping in his lap, Gai feels overwhelmed with warmth and gratitude. Mikoto so graciously opened her home to them, allowing them to share in her family’s tradition, and Gai feels like he’s part of a large family, the likes of which he’s never had. His childhood wasn’t lacking in any way, Gai thinks, but he’s also happy to be able to share beautiful moments like this with Naruto and Kakashi. 

Naturally, as a man in the height of his youth, he would love to express this emotion and feels tears of joy threatening to form at the corner of his eyes. His feelings wage a terrible battle within him as he considers the disruption to the calm atmosphere. He nearly restrains himself, but he must sniffle slightly, because Kakashi looks up at him suddenly.

“Is everything alright?” Mikoto asks carefully, and Gai nods, not even letting a single tear slip down his face. 

“More than alright, Mikoto-san,” he says with all of the vigor and energy he can manage. “Thank you for such a lovely afternoon!”

Itachi gives him an odd look at that, and he wonders if perhaps he was a little too enthusiastic. Sometimes he finds that his voice carries quite far when he doesn’t intend it to. Shisui laughs cheerfully though and echoes the sentiment, and Hiromi smiles fondly at her son. When Gai looks at Kakashi again, Kakashi’s looking down at Naruto with such a warm look that Gai goes back to focusing on making mochi with a happy heart.

Between all of them, it still ends up being a long day to finish making the whole batch. It’s already past nightfall when Mikoto sends them home with warm New Years wishes and several bags of mochi. On the walk back, Gai finds himself thinking about the past few months and how glad he is that Naruto and Kakashi are both such important parts of his life now. Looking back on that day when he promised to help Kakashi raise Naruto, he thinks wryly that he probably didn’t give Kakashi much choice in the matter. Still, Gai thinks that it’s worked out quite well so far. After all, it’s not every day that a man gets to live under the same roof as the object of his eternal rivalry. 

When they finally get back to what he’s starting to think of as his and Kakashi’s apartment, Gai unwraps Naruto from his many layers and bundles him into some pajamas as Kakashi cleans up in the other room. They’ve all had a long day, Gai thinks, but it was worth it to see that look on Kakashi’s face.  


Naruto’s already half-asleep by the time Kakashi’s done with the shower, and Gai’s sitting next to the boy on the futon as he falls asleep. Kakashi enters the room, toweling his hair dry, with another towel slung low over his hips, and Gai feels… well… he pushes down any sort of un-rival-y feelings he might feel, and beyond that, mostly he feels the piercing gaze of Kakashi’s sharingan eye as Kakashi scans the room. Gai’s not one to back down from a challenge after all. 

Kakashi gestures at Naruto. “He asleep already?” Kakashi asks, and Gai nods, hesitant to even speak, knowing how his voice carries. He feels heat creeping over his face, and he stands abruptly.

“I’ll leave him to you then,” Gai says, as quietly as he can manage. Kakashi nods, and Gai leaves the room to go get ready himself before the other man can start changing. There are some things that even the most strong-willed men cannot withstand.

Later he makes it back into the room, and Kakashi’s already laying down next to Naruto. One of the dogs is sleeping in the corner of the room, too, and Gai wonders briefly when Kakashi summoned them. His pack. Gai sinks down onto the futon on the opposite side of Naruto, feeling much more at peace than he did earlier. He thinks it’s probably past midnight, and he can tell by Kakashi’s breathing that the other man is still awake.

“Happy New Year, Kakashi,” he says, softly, as soft as he can manage. He thinks he can hear Kakashi half-smile in the dark. 

“Happy New Year,” comes the reply, and then sleep comes not long after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New Year's fluff, because I just can't resist... ^^;;;


	13. Chapter 13

Over a month after the new year begins, the Hokage announces that all shinobi, regardless of rank, are to take on some extra low-rank missions to help finish village reconstruction in time for the spring. By this point, they’re all a little desperate for something to do, so even taking a few D-ranks sounds better than nothing.

Kakashi and Gai leave Naruto with Mikoto for the day, before heading over to the mission desk to meet up with some of the other younger jounin. Mikoto’s somehow absolved from picking up extra low-rank missions, probably because she’s the new Uchiha clan head and has better things to do like focus on the reconstruction of the Military Police building, but Kakashi’s not going to fault her for it. 

Naruto’s already four months old now, and he’s starting to develop a bad habit of grabbing things, like Kakashi’s mask, much like Sasuke did at his age. He immediately takes a swipe for Mikoto’s hair when Kakashi hands him over, and Mikoto untangles his little fist gently and smiles at Kakashi, promising to take them up on similar services again soon. Gai loudly declares that they would be happy to look after the adorable Sasuke anytime Mikoto needs them to, and Kakashi groans internally thinking about the fact that he’s come to a point in his life where he’s swapping child-sitting duties with a fellow parent.

Gai attempts to make conversation on the walk to the mission desk, but Kakashi’s lost in his own thoughts and doesn’t really pay attention to half of what Gai’s saying. He’s mostly thinking about how much their lives have changed over the past few months and how different everything feels now. Gai eventually falls silent beside him, and when Kakashi looks over at the other man, he finds Gai deep in contemplation of his own, so he shrugs and they continue on to the mission desk in silence. 

Kakashi finds himself feeling slightly unmoored when they finally walk into the room. There are both jounin and chuunin scattered about - it’s fairly packed, actually, and their arrival doesn’t pass unnoted. Kakashi notices a few odd looks directed their way, but then he catches Genma’s eye, and Genma nods in greeting and heads towards them. Gai greets Genma cheerfully before making his own way over to talk to Asuma and Kurenai, who are already standing in another line.

“How’s training with Itachi going?” Kakashi asks Genma, as they get in line as well, and Genma shakes his head. 

“That kid…” He says, muttering around his usual senbon, “I don’t even think he needs to attend Academy.”

“Hmm,” Kakashi replies, noncommittally. He knows Mikoto’s excited for Itachi to start Academy, but he had wondered the same thing even after watching him practice a while back. Now, after a few months of training with Genma, he thinks the kid’s probably more than ready to go on real missions.

Genma continues, giving Kakashi a sideways glance, “It seems like it would be good for him to get to know kids his own age though. The only other person he seems to hang out with on a regular basis is his cousin Shisui.”

Kakashi just shrugs at that. It’s hard to argue with. Look at what happened to his team, all because of his own misguided ideals. 

They move forward in the line, and Genma raises an eyebrow at him. “Advocating friendship now are we?”

“He’s not my kid,” Kakashi says simply, starting to get annoyed at the topic. But he can’t help think about Naruto. He imagines Naruto at Itachi’s age with those same too-knowing eyes. He thinks about Naruto living through the experiences that Kakashi himself lived through, and he sighs. “I’d probably want him to make some friends in Academy too, though, if he was.”

Genma looks absolutely shocked at that, and it’s Kakashi’s only consolation really. The whole thing’s making him feel unsettled, so he claps Genma on the back, smiling broadly in the least genuine way he knows how to. “Well, didn’t you hear? My heart is growing all warm and squishy.”

Genma blinks a few times and then laughs. “I guess it must be, Hatake.” He gives Kakashi a thoughtful look and continues, “Well, I’ll see what I can do to convince the kid not to stand out too much.”

Kakashi wonders what that will involve but says nothing in reply. Instead he glances over to the other line where Gai’s smiling at something Asuma said and feels a frown tug at the corner of his own mouth. He shoves his hands further into his pockets, hoping to get this all done with soon. 

By the time they make it to the front of the line, Kakashi accepts a mission at random, deciding it’s time for him to leave. He’s had about enough socialization for the day, even if it’s only just been with Genma. He tilts his head at the other man in goodbye, and he slips out the door with only a few whispers following him out. He’s about to open the mission scroll to see what it entails - hopefully nothing too trivial - when he hears Gai’s voice ringing throughout the village.

“ETERNAL RIVAL!” Gai shouts, and he’s hanging out of the window of the mission desk room, and then climbing out of it in a less than elegant way. Kakashi’s mouth actually drops open behind his mask, and he feels heat climbing his face. This is what he gets for ignoring Gai all morning, he thinks. He should’ve known that something was up.

Gai gives him the full Good Guy Pose, thumbs up and all, and Kakashi just stares at him blankly. He’s afraid to even ask.

“KAKASHI,” Gai says, still shouting, as if the entire village hadn’t already heard. As if Kakashi isn’t right in front of him with his complete and utter attention. “I have the BEST idea.” 

“Anytime this week,” Kakashi mutters under his breath, and a crowd is starting to form around them as the other shinobi are leaving the mission desk by more conventional means. But Gai picks up on his tone immediately and slaps him on the back in a way too aggressively friendly manner, laughing aloud in reply. It nearly knocks the wind out of Kakashi’s lungs with the force. Maybe Kakashi needs to be training a bit more, he thinks frantically.

“I challenge you!” Gai says finally, and this is what Kakashi’s been expecting really. It’s been far too long, and Gai hasn’t issued a rivalry challenge in months now. Gai continues, “Since the most lovely Mikoto is watching Naruto today, let’s see how many D-ranks we can complete!”

Kakashi perks up a bit at that. That… actually seems like a reasonable challenge, he thinks. He’d been planning on taking a more leisurely approach to the whole thing. Not slacking off exactly but... Kashi nods, considering his chances. “Rules?” He asks.

Gai thinks on it a moment and proclaims, “Complete the mission using any means available! We will compete with our youthful ingenuity and stamina!”

Kakashi nearly chokes at the phrasing, but clears his throat. “Ah yes, I accept then.”

Genma’s head appears over Gai’s shoulder and he raises a hand. “I do as well.” And then Kurenai’s pushing past him and laughing, “Me, too!”  


Kakashi looks around them, realizing that there are several other jounin who are watching this play out. “You can’t all participate in a rivalry challenge,” Kakashi tries, but Asuma’s shrugging.

“Why not?” Asuma says. “Might as well.”

Kakashi feels the heat rising to his face again but he pushes it away. Gai looks so hopeful and inspired, and Kakashi already accepted the challenge anyways. He nods in resignation. 

“Alright, alright, everyone can participate,” he mumbles, and Gai laughs out loud again, always too joyful, too much of everything all at once. 

“Meet back here at dusk,” he says, gruffly, ignoring the way his face still burns beneath his mask. “And we’ll tally them up.”

The other four salute him half-heartedly and body-flicker away. Well all of them but Gai who runs briskly off into the distance. Kakashi shrugs, body-flickering away as well. He might as well try to win the thing after all of that.

\---

The first thing that’s apparent when they all meet up is that Genma obviously cheated. He reveals a pile of scrolls that’s easily double what anyone else has. He merely smirks at Kakashi’s raised eyebrow, “What, Hatake? I was just _resourceful_.”

Asuma frowns comparing Genma’s pile of scrolls to his own. “No, you definitely cheated. Just can’t figure out how…”

Kakashi points his finger accusingly at Genma when he figures it out. “The Uchiha brat.”

Genma’s smirk widens. “You’ll never know for sure.”

Kurenai taps her foot. “Okay, Genma _obviously_ cheated. How many does everyone else have?”

They tally up the mission scrolls. To Kakashi’s horror, Gai has one more than he does. He adds it to the ongoing tally in his head that he’ll never admit to keeping and feels the blood drain from his face as he realizes that this means that Gai is _ahead_ of him now.

Gai’s smile is practically sparkling. “Yosh! I am in the lead once more!” 

Kakashi groans, “I demand a re-match.” 

Gai nods vigorously. “Yes! A rematch it is! Shall we race a hundred laps around Konoha? On our hands?”

Kakashi feels something fond settling in his chest at that, but he shakes his head. “Not today.” He hooks his thumb towards the direction of Mikoto’s house. “I’m going to go pick up the kid.”

“Yosh! I shall join you!” Gai says and immediately starts jogging in place. 

Kakashi waves a hand at him, “Go celebrate.”

Something passes over Gai’s face then, but Kakashi body-flickers away too quickly to see what it was. He doesn’t think he wants to know anyways.

\---

Kakashi walks back from Mikoto’s house with Naruto pressed tightly against his chest. The kid’s sleeping. He still does a lot of that, between bursts of activity. And the night is falling quietly around them. It feels too quiet without the bright of Gai’s laughter next to him. Gai is a constant source of energy, radiating it, and Kakashi feels like all he can do is absorb it and become brighter for it. But maybe that’s not fair to Gai, he thinks, on this quiet walk home.

When he gets to the street of the place he’s starting to think of as his own, he pauses. There’s light streaming out of the windows of the house. A shadow peels itself off of the wall next to the doorway, and the cherried light of a cigarette follows. Asuma says, “I see you’re still running away.”

Kakashi grunts in reply. He doesn’t want to have this conversation now. He doesn’t feel particularly friendly towards the other man at the moment for reasons he can’t really pinpoint.

Asuma stubs his cigarette out, slipping the remains into a pouch and sliding it into his flak jacket. He gestures towards the house. “Well he didn’t want to leave you out.”

And Kakashi realizes then, what must have happened, and can see how it would go. He closes his eyes briefly under the weight of the realization. That Gai wouldn’t want a night to himself to hang out with his friends. That Gai would rather spend time with him and Naruto there, too. That he would bring his lively energy back to this space. And that he’d want to share it with Kakashi who feels like he can’t possibly have anything to offer in return.

Asuma gestures at Naruto. “You should probably get him inside.” 

Kakashi nods blankly, unable to process Gai’s reasoning, yet again. He’s missing some key piece of information, he thinks, as he trails into the apartment behind Asuma. But inside it’s bright and warm - Genma and Kurenai are laughing on the couch and Gai is making tea. Gai smiles hugely at Kakashi when he seems them, and Kakashi forgets about his worries for now. It really does feel like home.


	14. Chapter 14

The new Military Police building is slated to be finished a few weeks after Itachi starts Academy, and Mikoto thinks the timing couldn’t be any worse. As she begins the tedious task of wading through a stack of applications, she’s starting to admit to herself that maybe she’s in over her head, maybe just a little bit. Opening the applicant pool to all eligible shinobi in the village sounded like such a good idea at the time, but now that she doesn’t even have a police captain to help her look through said applicants, she’s cursing her past self for suggesting the idea.

One of the first orders of business should really be finding a new captain, Mikoto thinks, but it hurts to remember why it’s necessary. It’s been several months since Fugaku’s death, but it hasn’t gotten much easier. It also doesn’t help that the primary candidate for the job, Uchiha Yashiro, was also one of the strongest dissenters at the clan meeting where she announced the interclan police force.

She frowns down at the pile of applications on the table, as if they might disappear if she stares hard enough, and sighs. She also hasn’t been able to bring herself to use Fugaku’s office to do any of her work. It’s as if by using that room, she’s admitting that he’s really gone, and there’s something in her that still can’t do that yet. She shuffles all of the papers into a neat pile. There’s still time to decide. At least until after Itachi starts Academy, she thinks.

Sasuke tugs at her pants leg and she looks down at him. She wonders where Itachi is anyways. Lately he’s seemed happier, she thinks, as she bends down to lift Sasuke up into her lap, but it wasn’t all that long ago, when Sasuke was first born, that Itachi was nearly inseparable from his younger brother. Even in the days after the Nine-Tails attack, Itachi stayed close to Sasuke’s side. Now, he’s usually out, probably training with Shisui, Mikoto imagines. The two spend most of their days together now, but when missions start up again, Shisui will be gone for long stretches at a time, and Itachi will have Academy to attend anyways. Not too much longer now.

Sasuke looks up at her with large, curious eyes, and she smiles down at him. He giggles in reply. She wonders if he’ll grow up to be as obsessive as his older brother. She hopes at least one of them will join the police force, but she can’t imagine it for Itachi. Fugaku would’ve loved it though - to see both of his sons on the force.

Sasuke makes a grab for the stack of applications, scattering a few of them across the table, breaking her reverie, and Mikoto finds herself laughing as she pulls his hands away. He giggles louder in response. 

“I don’t think you can help with this, little one,” she says, and she reaches out to push the stack further back, safely out of grabbing range, but pauses as a photo on one of the applications further down the pile catches her eye. 

Half of an all-too familiar face, partially obscured by other applications. She pushes the others aside, eyes widening in disbelief. There’s no mistaking it though. Shiranui Genma applied to join the Military Police.

\---

Genma gives her a wry look when she sees him walking up the front path behind Itachi and Shisui later that afternoon. Shisui merely grins and bows politely. “Hello, aunt,” he says. The corner of Itachi’s mouth quirks up as well, and he accepts Sasuke out of her arms to take him into the house. They had all been training together all day of course, and she wonders how often Genma joins them.

Genma nods in greeting to her after the younger boys are inside, and he looks helplessly young himself for a moment, almost nervous. The look slides away to be replaced by something like a forced casualness that she’s noticed on him and Kakashi both at times. She crosses her arms at him, raising an eyebrow.

“Saw the application, did you?” He asks, getting straight to the point, and she rolls her eyes at him.

“Well of course I did,” she huffs. “How would I not? I’m the only one going through the pile of them after all.” He had to have known that she’d see it. Perhaps that’s even why he stopped by today when he hasn’t very often in the past, she thinks, and she wonders if he’s really that eager to join.

Genma leans against the side of the house, saying nothing and chewing on his senbon. He looks out across the yard. “What do you think?” he asks after a while, and she gives him a considering look.

“Why would you want to do it?” she asks in return, because she can get down to the heart of the matter as well. 

Genma shrugs, “Ah, it’s just.” He glances over at her, and then his eyes dart away. “You know, maybe I just want to spend more time around the village. Help out with training the - uh - Itachi and Shisui.”

Mikoto’s eyes sharpen at the near slip, but she lets it slide, shaking her head.

“I’d like to try something different, I guess,” he says finally and looks up at the sky. 

Mikoto can’t argue with that. It seems like they’ve all been needing to try something different after the past few months. She nods decisively.

“Alright. Your application is accepted, then,” she says.

Genma’s eyes widen, and he pushes off of the wall, all of the casualness gone. “Just like that?” he asks.

Mikoto gives him a small smile, “Well of course the Hokage will need to approve it, since your previous posting was as Hokage Guard to the Fourth, but…”

Genma nods. “Alright,” he says, “I’ll ask him about it.”

Mikoto shakes her head. “This means a lot, Shiranui. We need high-level shinobi in the force.”

“Well thank you for the compliment, Uchiha-san,” Genma nods and smiles cheekily at her. “Or should I start calling you Captain?”

Mikoto’s surprised by the assumption and finds herself at a loss for words. “I’m - I’m not -” she says, but Genma’s bowing deeply in front of her, before she can get any words out

“I’m looking forward to working with you, Captain,” he says, and Mikoto nods blankly at him, suddenly realizing that she’s made an even bigger miscalculation than she thought. Surely the rest of the clan doesn’t think… She feels nearly lightheaded as Genma makes his excuses and leaves.

“Shisui,” she says, when she’s back inside, and she finds him and Itachi playing with Sasuke. “Am I -” she pauses, unsure how to even ask this question. Is she the new captain of the Military Police? It seems absurd, even given her ranking of jounin. 

Itachi looks at her curiously, and Shisui prompts, “Aunt Mikoto?”

“Ah, it’s nothing,” she says, mind still tumbling over with possibilities. 

\---

Sarutobi’s eyes widen nearly imperceptibly when Genma makes the request to join the ranks of the Military Police. The old man’s got a good poker face. Of course he’d have to have the best after leading the village for so many years, but Genma realizes his request is unusual. Genma’s trying to go for casual, but he knows he can’t really fool this man of all people. His position as former Hokage Guard makes the transition unprecedented.

Well, surely that, Genma thinks, as Sarutobi presses his fingers together in front of his face in a contemplative expression. Everything that’s happened in the past year has been unprecedented, and it seems like everyone’s just doing the best they can to hang on. Genma’s ready to do his part.

He bows formally, “I’d be in your debt if you would honor this request, Hokage-sama.”

Sarutobi finally leans back, saying, “Relax, shinobi. You’re one of our most talented young tokubetsu jounin, and the Military Police would do well to have you.” Sarutobi gives Genma a curious look that Genma politely ignores.

“I had thought to give you a position on my own Hokage Guard,” Sarutobi says finally, and Genma meets his eyes in surprise, but the older man waves a hand at him dismissively. “It’s fine, Shiranui, you’ll be a good addition to the force.”

Genma nods, feeling a release of tension he didn’t realize he was holding onto. “I’ll do my best, Hokage-sama,” he says, and when the Hokage dismisses him, he finds himself outside of the Academy, staring at the village around himself and feeling suddenly adrift.

He’s not quite sure what drives him to do it, but he decides that after his new Captain and the Hokage himself, the next person Genma needs to tell about the change is, of course, his former genin teammate. With that in mind, he finds himself at Kakashi and Gai’s door, pausing for a moment as he realizes that this is the first time he’s been here unannounced, and thinking that maybe it’s a little strange. The door opens before he can even knock, and the red of Kakashi’s sharingan eye startles him.

“Ah, sorry,” Kakashi says, gesturing at his lack of forehead protector. “Bad habit.”

Genma merely nods, wondering if Kakashi could see his chakra signature through the door. “Is Gai in?” he asks, and Kakashi waves him inside, quickly disappearing into another room.

Gai’s sitting on the floor of the living room area, with Naruto sitting up in his lap, and when he sees Genma, he smiles brightly. 

“He’s getting good at sitting,” Genma says, moving to sit down next to them both, and Gai nods enthusiastically.

“He will be walking in no time!” Gai proclaims, and then continues, “What brings you here today?” 

Genma itches to pull a senbon out, but he’s been more careful not to do that around the young kids. He holds his hand out to Naruto instead, and Naruto makes a grab for his fingers. The kid’s got a good grip, he thinks.

“I’m joining the Military Police,” he says.

Kakashi’s voice comes from behind him, suddenly, “You’re what?”

Genma looks up to see Kakashi’s sharingan eye covered now, but the visible eye is staring at Genma in surprise. Genma shrugs, “I’m joining the Military Police. interclan cooperation and all that.” Kakashi looks at him blankly and Genma continues, “Although it’s not like I have a clan or anything.”

Gai interrupts, “You’re not going to continue as Hokage guard?”

Genma shakes his head, “The Professor cleared me from my duties. And I already talked to Mikoto-san about it.”

Gai nods, “Yes, yes, that sounds like a wonderful plan!”

Kakashi looks at him as if he disapproves, but then shrugs finally. “Huh, well, good luck,” he says, and Genma feels his mouth twitching into a slow smile that quickly spreads over his face.

“Yeah,” he says in reply. “I guess I’ll probably need it.”

Gai and Kakashi are both looking at him oddly, but his heart feels somewhat lighter than it did, and he thinks that maybe he has something else to look forward to now.

\---

It’s early the next day when Mikoto makes her way to the Uchiha Senbei shop. The proprietors, Teyaki and Uruchi, are distant relatives, and she hasn’t visited them for too long now, although she’s definitely here with an ulterior motive in mind today. Itachi’s already disappeared for the day, and Sasuke’s in a sling wrapped around her. Teyaki is at the counter, helping a customer, and when the customer leaves, he smiles broadly at her and waves her up to the display counter. “Mikoto! Is that Sasuke you have there?”

Mikoto nods, and Sasuke peers out from the sling curiously. Mikoto unwraps him, lifting him out and onto her hip as Teyaki comes out from behind the counter to say hello. 

“He’s getting so big already!” Teyaki says, and Sasuke babbles something in greeting. Teyaki smiles broadly at him.

“We had hoped to visit Uruchi today,” Mikoto says, and Teyaki nods.

“She’s in back,” he says, “I’ll get some senbei for you to take home.”

Mikoto shakes her head, “Oh, no, it’s too much trouble,” but he insists, and gestures for her to head back to the rear area of the shop where Uruchi is as he makes a bag for her.

Mikoto bows politely to him, pressing Sasuke close to her, and then heads down the familiar hallway to see Uruchi. Uruchi’s brushing something over a tray of senbei, and she looks over to Mikoto in surprise.

“Ah, Mikoto dear, I thought I heard Teyaki say your name. It’s so good to see you, and Sasuke, too!” Uruchi says, beckoning her over. “Sit down, sit down. I’ll just be a minute.”

Uruchi finishes her task, sliding the tray into an oven, and then prepares two cups of tea. Mikoto accepts the tea carefully, mindful of Sasuke’s reach, as Uruchi offers her a cup and sits down as well.

Uruchi smiles at Sasuke, and Sasuke grins back. He’s not too shy with his Aunt and Uncle, as Itachi calls them. Mikoto can’t find the words to ask what she’s wanting to ask, but Uruchi gives her a careful look. “I’m glad to see you both. I know you’ve been terribly busy with the new police building opening up soon,” she says, and Mikoto can’t help but look down at her tea.

“Ah, yes,” Mikoto replies finally. “I haven’t found a new captain yet, so I have been doing all of the work for now.”

Uruchi chuckles, her eyes softening with understanding, “Is that what this is about then? Dear, you’ve already been chosen for the position.”

Mikoto looks up in surprise, “Wouldn’t it be better for someone to come from within the force?”

Uruchi inclines her head, “Hmm, but the clan’s decided it already. At least informally. I would be surprised if anyone expects you to choose another candidate. You are a jounin, after all, and the Clan Head. It’s only natural that you’d lead the Military Police as well.”

Mikoto takes a sip of her tea, letting the reality settle into her mind. After a moment, she nods decisively, and she feels as if she’s slipping on her armor again, just another layer, like all of the others. “If that’s what is expected of me, then that is what I will do,” she says.

Uruchi smiles at her reassuringly, “You will be fine, dear, just like always. Now make sure to tell Itachi to stop by soon, too. I need to get back to work.”

Mikoto nods and re-secures Sasuke in his sling. She manages to trade some coins for the senbei that Teyaki offers her on the way out, promising to send Itachi by soon to visit as well. She has the rest of the day laid out in front of her and, with it, a pile of applications that need attending to. In fact, she has an entire Military Police Force to organize now.


	15. Chapter 15

The trees around Konoha are already blooming pink with cherry blossoms by the time Jiraiya finally shows up to look at Naruto’s seal. He arrives, unexpected and on their doorstep, on the exact day that Gai had planned a picnic with Kurenai and Asuma to go view the blossoms at a particularly ideal location. Gai insists that Naruto must experience the first _hanami_ of his youth. This is not something Kakashi would admit to ever wanting to do on his own, but he has a sort of yearning to give Naruto a normal childhood as much as he's able. Call him sentimental, or whatever.

So given this situation and the fact that Jiraiya has seemingly ignored the existence of his pupil’s son for the past several months, Kakashi feels more like shutting the door on Jiraiya’s face when he opens it to see the other ninja standing there. The catch is that he does actually want to hear what the Toad Sage has to say about the seal. Better late than never and all that, he thinks, and lets the other man into the apartment.

Gai chooses that moment to appear out of their makeshift bedroom - and maybe it's a little weird that it’s still their bedroom after all this time - in all of his spandexed glory, carrying Naruto, and talking to him cheerfully, “Let’s see who it is!”

Naruto says something unintelligible but undeniably happy in reply, and Gai’s entire face lights up before he looks up to see Jiraiya standing in the middle of the kitchen. He freezes, clutching Naruto closer suddenly, and hastily tries to bow. 

“Bad timing?” Jiraiya asks and raises an eyebrow at Kakashi.

Kakashi shrugs, but somehow it feels beneath his dignity to tell one of the members of the _sannin_ that he was planning on going on a picnic to view flowers, so he merely says, “Jiraiya, meet Maito Gai.”

Kakashi can’t recall if they’ve ever even met before, but by the careful look Jiraiya’s giving the other man, he thinks Jiraiya must have at least heard of Gai. Gai’s still half-bowing, half-uncertain in a way that he gets in front of people of higher rank, but then he stands a bit straighter, and replies, “And this is Naruto.”

Something like pain passes over Jiraiya’s face at the name. “They really named him that after all, did they?” he asks, and Kakashi nods, understanding. Naruto’s the name of the main character in Jiraiya’s book. Kakashi’s never read it, but he thinks Minato-sensei had a copy of it around the house somewhere.

Gai brings Naruto closer, and the kid looks up at Jiraiya with those big blue eyes, and Kakashi knows no one who can resist that face. He feels proud, suddenly, that they’ve taken care of the kid for this long already. That Minato’s own sensei can see how well Naruto’s growing up now.

“We’re going on a picnic today,” Gai says, and Jiraiya’s eyebrows really do raise into his hairline at that, somehow managing to dispel the tension.

“A picnic?” he replies, and then his face takes on a nostalgic look. “Ah, a cherry blossom viewing then at this time of year… Konoha always does have beautiful cherry blossoms,” he says, nearly wistful. 

Jiraiya looks down at Naruto then, carefully considering the boy. Jiraiya always seems like he’s a little bit too much, like he was drawn with too broad of strokes, but he especially seems like this in comparison to Naruto’s tiny features. He reaches out a hand to touch the blonde hair that’s starting to stick out all around Naruto’s head, and Naruto tries to grab his hand in reply, giggling at the older man. 

“Well, we better take a look at that seal quickly then,” Jiraiya says, something gruffer in his voice, and Kakashi nods, the words sticking in his throat. There’s too many things to say to him, and perhaps nothing at all.

\---

“The kid did a pretty good job, Kakashi.” Jiraiya says once he's done looking at the seal, and Kakashi realizes that the kid in question here is Minato, which makes him feel way too young. Jiraiya has that sort of effect on people. He’s frowning but he continues, “You don’t need to worry about the seal too much. Minato was one of the best.” His voice is heavy with the past tense.

Kakashi nods along. He knows that. Sarutobi knows it, too. 

“There was…” Jiraiya says pausing. “There was something else too though.”

Kakashi gives him a careful look. “Something else?” he asks, clearing his throat.

Jiraiya gives an offhanded nod to where Gai’s playing on the floor with Naruto now. “He knows what’s under the seal right?”

Kakashi nearly rolls his at the other man, “Of course he does.”

Jiraiya holds his hands up, “Woah woah, I don’t know who has clearance for this sort of thing. I would’ve thought Sarutobi-sensei would’ve wanted to keep it under wraps.”

Kakashi’s frown deepens. “Well he does to a certain extent. We’re not spreading it around that Naruto’s Minato-sensei’s son, if that’s what you mean.”

Jiraiya shakes his head, “That’s probably for the best.”

Kakashi waits for Jiraiya to continue, and the other man sighs finally. “Minato split the chakra before he sealed it, Kakashi. The boy’s got half of it, but Minato sent a seal along with Gerotora that unlocks the other half. Didn’t want the boy to have to deal with it all.”

Kakashi feels something tighten in his chest at that. He wonders if Naruto would’ve survived it, being an infant. He’s not even sure a tailed beast has ever been sealed into a newborn before. “Gerotora’s one of your summons then?” Kakashi asks.

Jiraiya shrugs, “He’s at Mount Myouboku. I can summon him if needed, when Naruto is ready.”

Kakashi nods at this, “Thank you for telling me,” he says, resisting the urge to push his hands against his eyes. “I don’t think we know what we’re really up against, with this thing sealed inside him.”

Jiraiya gives Kakashi a sad look at that, and shrugs, “You’ll just have to keep an eye on the boy, Kakashi.” He claps Kakashi on the back. “I’m glad it was you. Kushina made the right choice.”

Kakashi feels something tear through his chest at that, but he looks away, watching Naruto in Gai’s lap, and he nods. “I’m glad it was me, too,” he says, quietly, and feels immediately ridiculous for having said it out loud.

Jiraiya gives him a soft look at that, and stands up. “I need to go talk to Sarutobi-sensei,” he says, and then continues on a half-formed thought. “I don’t like seeing him taking the hat back. He’s too old for that.” 

“You could always do it,” Kakashi suggests, somewhat impudently, knowing Jiraiya would never suit the role. He's turned it down at least once already. Jiraiya laughs out loud at this, always borderline inappropriate, but who is Kakashi to complain. 

“You always were a brat, weren’t you?” Jiraiya says, and then he shakes his head. “Nah, Orochi would be better at it, but it seems like he’s going down a different path.” Jiraiya frowns to himself at that, and Kakashi wonders what the Toad Sage has heard about his former teammate. “And Tsunade… well…” Jiraiya’s voice sounds nostalgic and regretful.

Kakashi’s heard about what Tsunade’s up to. The whole village has, really. She’s the closest one of the sannin to a missing nin as any of them. The rumors around her are ever-growing, and Kakashi has to think that some of them must be true.

Jiraiya shrugs, and tries for a grin again, “Anyways, I’m working on another book. I can’t run a village.”

Kakashi thinks maybe Jiraiya’s just running away, and Kakashi knows this because he’s familiar with the impulse. He pushes his hands deep into his pockets and he shrugs, taking the bait, “What’s this one about?”

Jiraiya winks at him, “When it comes out, you should pick up a copy. That is - if you’re into that sort of thing.”

The way Jiraiya says it makes Kakashi feel like blushing, but he doesn’t quite get what the old Toad Sage is hinting at so he nods blandly, wishing for Gai’s interruptions, but Gai’s playing on the floor with Naruto now.

Jiraiya pushes back from his chair, giving Naruto another glance and frowning.

“So you’re alright with raising the tyke then?” Jiraiya asks, and Kakashi shrugs before he meets the other man in the eye. 

“It’s what Kushina wanted,” Kakashi says, and Jiraiya gestures at Gai, “He’s helping out?”

“We’re doing alright,” Kakashi nods, not saying anything more. He doesn’t particularly feel like explaining his living arrangements with the Toad Sage. 

Jiraiya nods, seemingly satisfied at this response, and a weight lifts off Kakashi’s shoulders that he wasn't quite aware of until that moment.

“Well, he’s definitely going to be giving the other little brats hell when he gets to Academy,” Jiraiya says, shaking his head.

Kakashi nearly laughs at that, giving Jiraiya a startled look. He tries not to think that far into the future, tries not to wonder what those years will be like, but he has a sudden image in his mind, and it makes him smile.

“Have fun looking at those flowers, kiddo,” Jiraiya says, winking as he leaves, and Kakashi wonders briefly if he should’ve invited the older ninja along. He shrugs it off.

“Let’s go meet up with the others,” he says, and Gai gives him a huge grin and a thumbs up.

“Yosh! Naruto and I are ready to go!” Gai proclaims, and straps Naruto into a forward-facing sling around his chest. Kakashi fondly thinks the other man looks utterly ridiculous, and then looks away quickly at the thought.

He thinks Gai probably knows how much he’s been looking forward to this as well. Gai always seems to know these things, perhaps even better than Kakashi does himself. Kakashi refuses to think about that for too long and any conclusions that might arise from it. He clears his throat.

“I’ll get the basket,” he says, making sure to sound incredibly put upon, and Gai just beams in reply. So much for subtlety. 

\---

Viewing flowers is definitely one of the least manly things Kakashi has ever done. Kurenai’s eyes are practically sparkling with glee, and Kakashi has this terrible realization that he’s pretty much signed himself up for a double date. At least the kid’s there to make it less weird. Or perhaps weirder, Kakashi can’t be quite certain.

The park’s crowded with civilians, most of whom are giving them very peculiar looks, and Gai has laid out a blanket and everything. Kakashi thinks Asuma might be blushing, but if he is, he hides it well. Kakashi’s very thankful for the mask. 

Asuma clears his throat, “So, uh, cherry blossoms?”

Kurenai looks up at him with bright eyes, “Aren’t they lovely this time of year?”

“Ah,” Asuma says, but it sounds more like a cough, “Uh, yeah. Sure are.”

Kurenai giggles, the sound like bells, and Kakashi feels a little relieved that at least someone seems to be feeling more awkward than he is at the moment. Gai’s humming while setting the rest of the food out on the blanket. Kakashi looks down at Naruto who’s sitting propped up in his lap. They brought some mushy rice for him, which doesn’t look all that appealing to Kakashi, but apparently it’s not too bad, because the kid’s seeming to tolerate it well. Although some of it has ended up down his shirt, and possibly on Kakashi, and also on the blanket.

Kakashi thinks ultimately that having Naruto there does, indeed, make it less weird. After Gai finishes unpacking the picnic basket, he finally notices the mess Naruto’s made and makes a very undignified noise of excitement. He leans over the blanket, wiping some rice mush off of Naruto’s face, Kakashi presumes, but it’s hard to really tell, and Kakashi just sits quietly, holding the container of rice mush far enough away that Naruto can’t stick his fist into it. Kakashi thinks about how this kind of thing is what he looks forward to most days. He really needs a mission assignment, he thinks helplessly, but he’s also sort of glad how things have worked out, too. When Gai leans back again, out of Kakashi’s space once more, Kakashi finds himself looking up at the flowers in the trees and thinking that Konoha really does have beautiful cherry blossoms after all. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you for reading! <3


	16. Chapter 16

Itachi promises Shisui that he won’t attempt to send a shadow clone to Academy until Shisui gives him the all clear. Until then, he thinks, it can’t hurt to create a shadow clone and send it off to do _other_ things. Even on the first day of classes. So, before heading off to the first day of Academy, Itachi creates a shadow clone and sends it to an empty training ground to test the boundaries of this new ability. Shisui has trained with him for months now, and he’s sure he can manage it. He’s excited to try.

He also promised Genma to “take it easy” on the other students, whatever that’s supposed to mean. After some thought, Itachi finally decides that Genma doesn’t want him to stand out too much, which Itachi doesn’t plan on doing anyways. Unfortunately, after the opening ceremony is finished and Itachi’s sitting in a classroom full of other students who are chatting and talking to each other, he’s not really sure how to blend in with the others. He thinks maybe he should try to join them, but it’s never been something he’s all that good at. 

Itachi’s already resigned himself to waiting quietly for the teacher to call them to attention, when Uchiha Izumi appears in front of him, smiling brightly.

“It’s good to see you again!” she says, and she takes the seat next to him. “I’ve been really excited to start Academy!”

He's surprised at how excited she seems. He's been so focused on the shadow clone training that he hasn't thought about the actual classwork that they might be learning. He doesn’t reply, and she looks at him curiously. 

“How about you?” she asks, and he glances away, shrugging.

“I would rather be training,” he admits, and she laughs at that, the sound reminding him of Shisui. 

“I want to train more, too,” she says, and there’s that excitement again in her voice. “I want to learn more taijutsu!”

He’s not sure what to say to her, but she doesn't seem to mind. He thinks about the last time he saw her - on the night of the Nine-Tails attack when she got her sharingan. He wonders if she’s tried using it again, but thinks maybe it’s not a good subject to bring up. The teacher tells them all to sit down before he can think of anything appropriate to respond with, and Izumi remains in her seat next to him. Itachi thinks that blending in is going to be a lot harder than he originally thought it might be.

\---

In the afternoon, Shisui meets him at the usual training grounds, with an uncharacteristic scowl on his face. 

“I thought I specifically told you not to do this on your first day, Itachi-kun,” he says, with a viciousness that promises retaliation. Itachi’s been learning from the best though, and he merely shrugs, not answering his cousin.

Shisui gets into a sparring stance. “Well, shall we make the best out of it?”

Itachi nearly smiles then, but he holds back, holding in his secrets. He nods, bowing formally to Shisui and holding out his hand in the signal to begin. The main goal, he thinks, right before Shisui does that super fast body-flicker he’s been working on, is to not get hit. He barely dodges, though, feeling himself wearing out with the effort needed to meet Shisui’s speeds.

One of the downsides of shadow clones is that it splits your chakra. 

They’ve practiced at it for months, and Itachi’s able to hold one for several hours pretty easily now - definitely long enough to make it through some Academy classes - but sparring and holding one at the same time is still difficult to manage. He _has_ to learn how to do it though. He thinks Shisui’s starting to get suspicious, since Itachi’s only dodging and not getting in any hits of his own. On that thought, he miscalculates slightly, and Shisui finally gets a hit in. The last thing Itachi remembers before he’s back at Academy is the look of realization on Shisui’s face. 

Itachi nearly doubles over as the clone’s memories and remaining chakra slam into him, his vision blurring. This is another downside that he hasn’t quite managed to work past. He feels Izumi’s hand on his shoulder, “Hey, Itachi, you okay?” She’s asking, and she looks really concerned. He nods, unable to speak for a moment, processing his surroundings. They’re outside, and he’s sitting under a tree with his bento in his lap. His mother wrote a note wishing him good luck on his first day.

“I’m fine, just…”  His head still feels full of memories that are trying to sort them self out, and he can’t think of an excuse. He shakes his head and looks down at his bento again, everything coming into focus with more clarity, “I’m fine,” he repeats. 

She gives him an odd look, as if she doesn’t believe him, but shrugs. He looks around carefully, wondering if anyone noticed the chakra returning to him. There’s an Inuzuka girl looking at him with curiosity, but Funeno-sensei is nowhere to be seen and everyone else seem fine. Itachi relaxes. He doesn’t think anyone noticed really. 

\---

At the end of the day, Itachi really does meet Shisui at their usual training grounds. Shisui whistles lowly at him, “You really had me going there, cousin.”

Itachi lets himself smile this time, the corner of his mouth twitching up. He feels overwhelmingly proud to have tricked Shisui, although he thinks his cousin might be teasing a bit, too. He pushes aside his pride, remembering the moment when the memories and chakra came back to him, and shakes his head.

“I need to be better,” he says, and Shisui laughs outright.

“Well, let’s keep training then,” Shisui replies. “I have a mission in a few days, but I have nothing better to do until then, little cousin.”

Itachi nods. The village has started taking outside missions again, which means Shisui is going to be much more busy than he was before. He wonders when they’ll have time to train. 

Shisui tilts his head at Itachi’s serious look. “Don’t worry,” he says, and he reaches out a hand to ruffle Itachi’s hair. Itachi scowls at him, but the mood feels a little lighter. “It’s a short mission, and you need to practice holding the clones all day anyways.”

Itachi moves into a sparring stance, and Shisui smiles at him in that way he has, and says, “Hey, how was your first day?”

Itachi shrugs, not replying, and instead concentrates on meeting Shisui’s quick attacks. His cousin is _much_ faster than he is, and it’s impossible to catch him for the most part. 

Shisui sticks his tongue out at Itachi, “Did you even talk to anyone in your class?”

At that, Itachi thinks of Izumi and nods in reply. Shisui laughs out loud again.

“Must have been quite the conversation,” he says and gets a hit in on Itachi, although this time Itachi doesn’t disperse, and he takes the hit, frowning at himself. Shisui steps back, “Hey, you should practice with some classmates when I’m gone, okay?”

Itachi’s not sure he really wants to but he shrugs.

“Promise me, Itachi,” Shisui says seriously then, and Itachi looks up at him. Shisui’s giving him a strange look, so he nods.

“Okay, okay,” Itachi says, and Shisui smiles at that, then calls an end for their training for the day. 

“You need to go tell Aunt Mikoto how your day went,” Shisui says when Itachi’s about to protest, and Itachi supposes he probably should. 

–--

His mother is waiting for him, sitting on the steps with Sasuke when he returns home. It’s getting late, and he feels ashamed all of a sudden that he made her wait so long.

“I’m sorry I’m late, mother,” he says, bowing formally to her. 

She smiles at him, and shakes her head, “It’s okay, Itachi. Did you have fun today?”

Itachi nods cautiously, and she seems pleased by this. 

“I can tell you’ve been sparring with Shisui, though,” she says, and he thinks maybe he’s not as subtle as he hoped. He’ll have to be more careful next time. 

“There’s a jutsu…” she begins, and she looks down at Sasuke, who’s sprawled across her lap, getting nearly too big now to sleep there comfortably. Itachi thinks he used to be so much smaller and wonders at how fast he’s growing. He looks up at his mother when he realizes she hasn’t continued.

“A jutsu?” He asks, and she nods, looking more serious.

“There’s a jutsu that we pass down to Uchiha. I want to teach it to you, Itachi,” she says. “It’s called the Grand Fireball jutsu, and your father wanted to teach it to you when you first entered Academy.” 

Itachi feels somber at this, but waits for her to continue. “Would you like to learn it?” she asks quietly.

Itachi nods. “Yes, please,” he says, and she smiles at him, something lighter in her face.

“Okay, Itachi, let’s see if we can get someone to look after Sasuke for a while, and we’ll learn it this weekend.”

\---

By the end of the week, Shisui’s already left to go on his mission, and Itachi’s been sending a shadow clone out to the training grounds on most days to run through katas, but he’s still under strict promises from Shisui to not try to hold one at school all day. Itachi’s so excited about learning the new technique his mother promised to worry too much about his issues with holding a shadow clone, though. 

His mother meets him at Academy on the last day of the week, and she smiles at him. “Sasuke’s with Kakashi and Gai for now,” she says, and reaches out to brush his bangs out of his face. He frowns at her slightly before remembering himself, feeling a blush creep onto his cheeks as he’s sure some of his classmates saw it happen. 

“I’m sorry, Itachi,” she says, laughing at his expression, and he forgives her a little bit. They walk down to the lake, out onto one of the docks, and she explains how to mold the chakra to be released into the fireball. He’s starting to get really good at molding chakra, he thinks, with all of his practice with Shisui.

“It’s okay if you can’t get it, Itachi,” she says, and he nods and lets her show him the technique.

He’s able to do it on the first try, and he thinks he sees tears in his mother’s eyes. He pauses, worried for a moment that he did something wrong, but she merely laughs again, “You really are your father’s son, aren’t you?” she says, and it sounds all weird to Itachi, coming from her. He remembers that’s what his father always said to him, but he wonders what it really means now - what his father would want him to do and whether it matters at all anymore.

She catches herself before she reaches out to brush his hair out of his face again. “When did you grow up?” she asks him, and he merely shrugs. 

“Should I try it again?” he says, and she nods, looking out over the water.

“Sure, we can practice for as long as you like.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An entirely Itachi-centric chapter. This was really tough to write! As always though - thank you all so much for reading! <3


	17. Chapter 17

This time, when Kakashi’s summoned to the Hokage’s office, he knows it can only be for one thing - his reassignment. Konoha’s been accepting new missions for a few weeks now, right before Itachi started Academy, in fact. Since Kakashi’s technically never been reassigned from his previous mission from Minato, he’s not sure what to expect. He thinks it’s very likely that the Professor will ask him to join ANBU again. It’s not like he could say no… and it's not like he would particularly _want_ to say no, but he can't help wonder how he would manage taking care of Naruto along with the kind of lifestyle ANBU tend to lead.

His mind elsewhere, he finds himself climbing through the Hokage’s window before he realizes that he probably shouldn’t just do that with _this_ Hokage, but it’s too late to back down now.

Sarutobi looks up from his desk, obviously surprised to see Kakashi there, waving a hand to dismiss whatever ANBU’s hiding in the shadows.

“Yes, Kakashi?” Sarutobi asks wryly, pen stopping in its place from whatever he was writing. “Do you need something specific or…?”

“I’m here about the reassignment,” Kakashi says, abruptly, before he can think further about it. Sarutobi sits back in his chair, sighing. Kakashi waits a bit but Sarutobi doesn’t say anything in reply, yet. Kakashi nearly twitches under the weight of that gaze. 

Sarutobi taps his pen against the desk staring at Kakashi a bit longer before nodding. Kakashi feels something that’s like relief and disappointment washing over him. Real missions again. It's been a long time.

“Alright,” Sarutobi says finally, “In fact, this is very fortuitous timing.” Kakashi notices then that the Professor has a suspicious gleam in his eyes. In fact, it looks like he might be repressing a smile. 

Sarutobi clears his throat - or was that a laugh? Kakashi’s hackles rise suddenly, feeling like he’s walked into a trap. He has a sudden flashback to the last time he was in this office, discussing Naruto’s seal, and he thinks Sarutobi is possibly considering that very moment and Kakashi’s behavior, which was definitely stepping over a line. He wonders what Jiraiya and Sarutobi spoke of when Jiraiya visited a few weeks ago. Suddenly Kakashi’s not so sure that he’s going to be put back in ANBU.

Sarutobi continues, “As it so happens, one of our chuunin Academy teachers will be taking some time off for parental leave soon. His wife is due any day now.”

Kakashi feels the horror dawning on him as the realization hits. He momentarily thinks about retreat, but his feet are glued to the floor.

“I didn’t have a good substitute in mind.” Sarutobi admits, “But given all of your recent experience with raising Naruto, I think you will be the perfect candidate. In fact, you’ll find the young Uchiha clan heir will be in your class.”

Kakashi feels protests forming on his lips, but somehow his throat has completely constricted and they can’t break free. Someone in the shadows snickers, and Kakashi vows that particular ANBU is going to have a slow and painful death.

“Please be prepared to report to the main Academy building on short notice,” Sarutobi says and then waves a hand at him, something like amusement crossing his features. “Now get out of my office. And please use the door.”

Kakashi finds himself leaving without remembering how he left. 

\---

Gai seems pleased enough at the news that Kakashi’s going to be _temporarily_ teaching all those pesky little Academy brats. In fact, Kakashi thinks he sees something like relief cross the other man’s face when he returns from the Hokage’s office with the assignment, but Gai can be a little hard to read sometimes when he really wants to be, so Kakashi shrugs it off and tries not to feel too embarrassed about the whole situation.

Genma, on the other hand, actually laughs out loud when he finds out, tears in his eyes and everything. Kakashi has a moment of sheer panic, realizing that this is going to be the reaction of nearly everyone who's ever heard the rumors of how cold-blooded he's supposed to be, but there’s nothing much he can do about it now. He thinks maybe his reputation couldn't have really survived him raising Naruto anyways. It's hard to feel too cold-hearted with those big blue eyes looking up at him every day.

It’s only a day later that Gai receives a mission notice of his own, though, and Kakashi has another moment of panic, wondering what they’ll do with Naruto. Gai leaves in a few days, and it sounds like Kakashi will be called into the Academy any day now, too. Gai claps him on the back and smiles.

“Mikoto-san said Hiromi would love to watch Naruto,” he assures Kakashi, with a wide grin, but Kakashi still can’t help but feel a little worried about the arrangement. 

Kakashi and Gai end up meeting with Hiromi and Mikoto at Hiromi’s cozy apartment, not too far from Mikoto’s house. Mikoto brings Sasuke along, and sits him up in her lap at the table as she talks about the new Police Academy building. Hiromi’s been watching Sasuke since it reopened, and they’re still figuring out some administration issues with the new recruits, including Genma. Hiromi offers them tea and assures Gai and Kakashi that it would be no trouble to watch Naruto as well when Gai has missions. 

“Since Shisui’s often gone on missions as well, it will be nice to have the little ones around,” she says happily, and Kakashi feels something relax in him a little at the thought that Naruto will be with a familiar person and a familiar playmate. 

Mikoto laughs at the look on his face, “It’s okay, Kakashi,” she says, patting his arm. “You’ll survive without the boy. Naruto will love it I’m sure!”  


Naruto squeals in agreement, and Gai looks a bit misty-eyed. Kakashi looks down at the kid, wondering how it is that he’s gotten so big already, and thinking about how terrible it will be when he has to leave on missions out of the village as well. Not that he'd ever admit that out loud. As much as he’s not looking forward to his stint as temporary Academy teacher, he can't help but feel a little glad that Sarutobi’s pushing this on him. It’s almost a relief to be able to spend a few more months with the kid before everything _really_ changes again.

Kakashi nods, finally, and Hiromi smiles happily down at Naruto. 

“We are happy to leave Naruto in your capable hands, Uchiha-san,” Gai says, and Kakashi agrees but still feels a little nervous about the whole thing. He clears his throat, thanking Hiromi for the tea.

“I’ll let you know as soon as I hear about when I’m starting,” Kakashi says, and Hiromi nods pleasantly, and wishes Gai well on his mission.

The walk home is quiet, and Kakashi sneaks a glance over at Gai. He’s gotten used to the other man’s constant presence and help with Naruto. He wonders what it will be like with him on a mission. He frowns, pushing the thought aside. Naruto’s getting more active, that’s for sure, but it’s nothing Kakashi can’t handle on his own. Kushina entrusted Naruto to him and him alone. Even though Gai’s been helping out these past months, Naruto is still Kakashi’s responsibility. The thought lingers in the back of his mind for the rest of the evening.

\---

Kakashi still hasn’t started the temporary Academy position before Gai leaves on his mission. It’s overly early in the morning when Gai wakes up to leave, and Kakashi reluctantly sees him off. Gai grins at him like always and coos at Naruto before heading out. Naruto’s still sleeping, so he doesn’t reply, of course, but Kakashi finds himself watching the interaction fondly.

“I'll be back in no time!” Gai says, waving goodbye cheerfully, and Kakashi merely raises a hand in reply. 

“See ya,” Kakashi says, and then Gai’s finally heading towards the village gates at top speed. The apartment feels rather empty.

By the time Naruto wakes up, Kakashi thinks Gai must already be out of the village.

“Well I guess it’s just you and me for a little while,” Kakashi tells Naruto as he gets him changed and ready for the day. Naruto swings his fists, and Kakashi wonders blandly what they’re going to do all day. Suddenly it seems like there are a lot of hours to fill. First comes food, though.

Kakashi’s pleasantly surprised to find some side dishes in the fridge that Gai had prepared the previous day, and some mushy substance that’s obviously for Naruto. Naruto’s really starting to get into more solid foods now, and the result means feeding him a lot of horrifying looking mush, but the kid doesn’t seem to mind it too terribly.

After eating and cleaning up the resulting mess - Kakashi has no idea how Naruto’s food ended up in his hair of all places - Kakashi looks around the empty apartment and nods decisively. He summons a few of the pack.

“Boss?” Pakkun asks, head tilting. Bull says nothing, but he never does.

“Keep an eye on Naruto for a few,” Kakashi says. He points at his own hair, “I'm going to go get cleaned up.”

Pakkun nods and sits patiently next to Naruto, who immediately tries to grab his ears. Pakkun looks vaguely offended but Bull just drools happily. 

“Great,” Kakashi says. “That's perfect.”

He takes a quick shower, but when he returns, he finds them all curled up on the floor napping. He picks Naruto up, and the boy blinks sleepily, face scrunching up a bit in confusion. He thinks Gai would tell him to let Naruto sleep, and the apartment feels empty again. He finds himself laying down on the couch, placing Naruto on his chest like he used to do when Naruto was a lot smaller. Napping seems like as good of an idea as any.

Naruto’s eyes sink closed again faster than Kakashi expects, but Kakashi finds himself staring at the ceiling, a mental map of the surrounding area in his mind, thinking about how far Gai has to go before he reaches his destination and eventually can return. Naruto’s breathing evens out, and the boy is a steady, warm weight, calming his thoughts somewhat. Kakashi eventually falls asleep again, too, wondering how it is that they spend so much of their time doing nearly nothing in this apartment and yet it doesn’t feel quite the same as it does today.


	18. Chapter 18

Standing in front of a group of sleepy Academy students, Kakashi regrets everything he’s ever done in his life that has led up to this moment. He’s a jounin. He used to be Cold-Blooded Kakashi of the ANBU. And now… 

Gai’s still on his mission, and this morning, Kakashi had to begin his new assignment as a temporary Academy instructor. He left Naruto with Hiromi at an absurdly early hour, something twisting in his chest even with Hiromi’s reassurances. Sasuke was already there, though, and Kakashi felt a little better seeing the other boy, already smiling and laughing. Naruto seemed too sleepy still in the early morning to know what was going on, but he clung to Kakashi just a little bit when Kakashi handed him over to Hiromi. Kakashi wonders if she’ll have any trouble with him today. He finds his mind wandering to Naruto and Gai even now.

Kakashi clears his throat, introducing himself, and letting the brats know that their usual teacher will return in three months. Some of the kids give him curious looks, and he glances down at the desk to avoid their gazes. The Professor had given him notice the night before, and Kakashi didn't have much time to prepare. Funeno-sensei had already set aside some lesson plans and notes which are sitting on the desk in a neat stack, but Kakashi hasn’t had time to look through them yet. Kakashi looks up from them to see Itachi smirk at him in a way that he probably learned from Genma. He feels a shiver of something like fear slide up his spine. 

“First, we will split into groups for sparring practice,” Kakashi says, abruptly. It's the first thing that comes to his mind. The little he remembers about Academy includes sitting in class for hours on end, which was the boring part, and sparring with the other students, which was barely more interesting. He feels a little sympathetic towards Itachi who probably feels similarly to how he did when he was Itachi’s age. The kid sitting right in front of him raises her hand, though, and Kakashi waves at her to speak. It’s not like he knows her name or anything, although by all means, she looks like she’s probably an Inuzuka. She has that vicious look about her, along with the clan markings of course. 

“We usually do that in the afternoon, sensei,” the girl replies in a blunt manner that reminds him of Tsume. He’s pretty sure this is her kid, if he thinks about it long enough. He feels his patience starting to slip already. 

“Today, we will be sparring in the morning,” he says, as calmly as he can under the circumstances, putting all of the false cheer that he can muster into the statement. “Surely it will wake you all up.”

He thinks he might hear one of them groan - a blonde kid in the back who Kakashi’s already marking as a troublemaker - but they are first years, for Sage’s sake, and they haven’t even been in classes that long to begin with. It’s only been a month since Itachi started. Surely they can’t all be that disenchanted with Academy yet… Kakashi grabs the packet of lesson plans from the desk on the way out to the training grounds, hoping he can look through them while the brats all spar with each other.

He manages to flip through the first page or two of the notes as he keeps half of his attention on the sparring. At least Funeno had been kind enough to leave some general ideas of what they should be learning over the next few months. Kakashi barely remembers what he even learned in Academy. He wasn’t there for very long.

Sparring practice turns out to be a great idea after all, however, because it gives him a chance to learn the kids’ names without making it too obvious. Funeno had a list written out with them paired up already based on ability, and he’s able to call them out to see their current sparring levels. The girl from earlier, he finds out, is in fact Tsume’s daughter, Inuzuka Hana.

She’s pretty decent at sparring, he thinks, although not as good as Izumi - the little Uchiha girl who sits next to Itachi and seems to spend most of her time trying to get him to break out of his shell. Good luck with that, he thinks, but he’s also mildly impressed with her, and not only for spending so much time putting up with Itachi. She seems to also have a natural talent for taijutsu. He finds himself distracted and frowning at that, thinking that Gai would probably be better at all of this than he is, and then wondering how Gai’s mission is doing, but before he can continue that train of thought, he notices something odd. 

Itachi is sparring with one of the other brats, and Itachi is perfectly, absurdly _average_ at sparring. Or so it would seem. So average, in fact, that it’s blindingly suspicious, especially given the ridiculous amount of time and energy Itachi puts into training. Kakashi wonders if Funeno had noticed yet, because surely he’d be able to see through such a ploy. Although perhaps not if he’s been distracted by the idea of becoming a new parent...  Kakashi, on the other hand, has a very decided interest in how Genma’s little student has been taking to his teaching. Kakashi can tell that Itachi’s slowing himself down, holding back his attacks, and mostly dodging if anything. In fact Kakashi’s wondering if Itachi doesn’t do anything _but_ dodge. It’s like the boy never takes a hit, which is pretty surprising to see in a kid of his age. To an untrained eye, it might look like he's running from the fight, or too shy to attack, but Kakashi sees something else entirely. He's not sure what Itachi’s tactic is here, but he has to admit that Genma’s done a great job training the kid. He’ll be vicious when he finally graduates. 

After watching most of the other kids sparring, it’s clear that Izumi and Hana are the best out of the bunch. Izumi’s going to be really great at taijutsu if she keeps up with it, and Hana’s fast. Especially for a kid her age. Probably comes with the way she was raised and all - Kakashi can’t imagine what Tsume’s taught her. Tsume’s a little scary on her better days, he thinks. 

But regardless, it’s not quite right that those two are the best in the class. Itachi would outpace them both easily if he was actually trying. Kakashi frowns to himself, thinking about the kid’s movements again. There’s just something too off about it, and he makes a note to ask Genma what exactly he’s been teaching him. He thinks Itachi’s probably going to be bored for most of Academy, and that’s kind of a shame. The kid could do with some friends. Kakashi has half a thought that Tsume’s brat would do him some good, so he reforms the sparring partners and pairs them up for some kunai practice. Itachi gives him a skeptical look, and Kakashi just shrugs back at him. He’s doing his best with the little preparation he has. This should be fun to watch at least.

\---

The main benefit of morning sparring practice seems to be that the kids are all too worn out to give him too much trouble through lunch. Hana rolls her eyes at him a few times during the afternoon, much to his exasperation, but there’s only so much he remembers, and it’s not like he’s had any experience standing up in front of a group of kids, telling them why they all need to grow up to be good little ninja. By the time class is out, Kakashi’s _exhausted_ , and he’s starting to think that Sarutobi must really be punishing him for something terrible. Plus the other chuunin teachers seem rather wary of him, but it’s not like he can blame them. He does have a sort of dark reputation.

He’s on his way to Hiromi’s to pick up Naruto, trying not to think about how empty the apartment’s going to be when they get back to it, when he feels a shadow trailing after him.

“What’s up brat?” he asks, and Itachi scowls at the nickname. 

“Does mother know you call me that?” Itachi replies back, and Kakashi can’t help but grin a bit under the mask. The kid’s definitely come out of his shell a little, if the sass is anything to go by. Probably more of Genma’s influence.

Kakashi shrugs, hands in his pockets, not saying anything in reply. Itachi has to take much larger steps to keep up with Kakashi’s stride, and that only makes the kid scowl even more. Maybe it says something unfavorable about Kakashi’s personality that he’s starting to enjoy teasing small children.

“How’d you get your sharingan?” Itachi asks suddenly, though, and it pulls Kakashi right back to that moment, the ground not feeling so steady under his feet anymore. Of course Itachi would know about that. Every Uchiha knows about it, and yet, people don't talk about it as much as they did a few years ago. He thinks the clan accepted it for the most part, although he's sure they can't like it. Kakashi slows down a bit, and the kid just looks up at him, waiting for an answer.

He sighs, deflecting the topic carefully, “Is that really what you followed me all the way out of the Academy for?” 

Itachi nods at him seriously though, and Kakashi grasps for anything else he can say. “Why aren’t you off with Shisui somewhere?”

Itachi frowns at him. “Shisui’s on a mission,” he replies, and then looks down at the ground. “He’s starting to go on a lot more of them. He’s getting really good.”

Kakashi hums vaguely in response at that. Shisui _is_ getting really good, if rumors are anything to go by. He’s been making quite a name for himself, considering his young age. Kakashi can relate.

“Izumi already has the sharingan,” Itachi continues. “And Shisui…”

The kid’s not going to let the subject drop, so Kakashi relents a bit. “Haven’t you heard the rumors about me?” he asks.

Itachi shrugs, and Kakashi keeps walking, looking straight at the path ahead of them, not letting himself think too long about it when he replies, “Well, a friend gave it to me.”

Itachi looks up at him, surprised and confused. “A friend?” he asks, and Kakashi nods sadly at the kid.

“Yeah, Itachi, a friend. Friends are important, you know.”

Itachi frowns even more at this, and Kakashi ruffles the boy’s hair, trying for a lighter tone. “You should try to make some,” he continues. “Academy's not just about training.”

Itachi looks skeptical at that, and Kakashi nearly laughs at his expression. “Come on,” he says finally. “Gai’s on a mission, too. Why don't you help me pick up Naruto from your Aunt Hiromi’s? Sasuke will probably still be there.”

Itachi seems to be appeased by this idea, and he nods, following alongside Kakashi silently.

Hiromi greets them both cheerily when they get to her apartment. Sasuke crawls towards Itachi the moment he sees his older brother, and Itachi makes a beeline towards the boy. Kakashi feels better just seeing Naruto, as well, and as Hiromi hands him over, he realizes how much he's missed the boy throughout the day. Naruto makes a face at him, the little whisker marks scrunching up on his cheeks, and Kakashi smiles down at him, although it's mostly hidden by the mask.

“Thanks, Uchiha-san,” he says to Hiromi, and she smiles in reply.

“He's no trouble. I'm happy to take him again tomorrow,” she says. Kakashi nods, making arrangements for the rest of the week and then says goodbye to her, Itachi, and Sasuke. 

Itachi bows politely. “See you tomorrow, Kakashi-sensei,” he says, and Kakashi's pretty sure the brat said that just to annoy him.

The walk back seems to pass slowly. And then, when Kakashi and Naruto do get home, and Naruto’s a little cranky, and the apartment feels a little strange still without Gai there, Kakashi finds himself wondering how he ever would've managed to do any of this alone. He's definitely not about to admit it out loud, but he thinks he'll be glad when Gai’s back from his mission, and they can go back to something like their normal lives again. But until then, it's just him and the kid, and Kakashi thinks they should be able to manage okay for the time being.


	19. Chapter 19

By the time Gai returns from his mission, Kakashi and Naruto have developed a system of sorts. This system has also regrettably and frequently included Itachi, since his usual playmates (Genma and Shisui) are otherwise occupied. Kakashi’s become a stand-in of sorts, and he’s not all that thrilled with the situation, but it's also hard to say no to the kid when he follows Kakashi back to Hiromi’s place to pick up Naruto after school each day. 

Kakashi's started to make a game of irritating Itachi into talking about whatever it is that he's up to, but so far no luck. Some days he also tries to goad the kid into making more friends. This, he thinks, has been more successful, and he's noticed Inuzuka Hana joining in with Izumi and Itachi at lunch and at other times. Really, Kakashi doesn't even care if Itachi wants friends or likes having them. He just can't stand the idea of his own childhood repeating itself like some twisted cycle. He sees Obito and Rin sometimes in the kids he teaches, and he can't help wonder what kind of shinobi they would be now. He thinks it's probably his fault that they never had a chance. And maybe on those days when he thinks like that, it is kind of nice to have the sullen little brat following alongside him as they walk through the village together. Maybe. 

Today's much like any of the other days that Kakashi’s been teaching at the Academy. Well, with one exception. Kakashi makes his usual trip to Hiromi’s to pick up Naruto, Itachi trailing alongside like some sort of lost duckling, only to find when they arrive that Naruto is _not there_. 

Kakashi knows nearly down to the day when Gai’s supposed to return, but there’s always an element of ambiguity in mission timings. There are so many factors that could bring a team back earlier or later. He _knows_ this, but somehow the sudden change in his usual routine makes him feel nearly breathless with the unexpectedness of it all.

Hiromi gives him a huge smile at the doorway. “Gai’s already stopped by to pick him up earlier in the afternoon, Kakashi-kun,” Hiromi says, and Itachi gives him a curious look, but Kakashi quickly pulls himself together and bows, thanking Hiromi for all of her time spent keeping an eye on Naruto. She says she’ll gladly take him again in the future, and Kakashi can’t help it if he body-flickers back to the apartment, leaving Itachi with Hiromi, Itachi’s curiosity still apparent on his face. He can worry about the brat later.

“Kakashi!” Gai says in that bright way of his when Kakashi opens the door, and Gai seems all too real after a few weeks of him not being around. Kakashi’s eyes widen a bit, and he’s unable to reply for a moment, so Gai just laughs loudly at his expression. “Too cool as always, I see,” Gai says, and gestures to where he’s already set some food out on the table. Naruto’s strapped to Gai’s chest in a forward-facing sling, and he squeals happily.

“You’re back early?” Kakashi asks, voice catching on some vague thought that he tries to hastily push aside, and Gai nods vigorously.

“I couldn’t stay gone too long!” He announces. “Naruto might do something new, and I’d miss it!”

Kakashi feels something like a smile twitch at the corners of his mouth, and he turns his eyes towards the food and away from the brightness of Gai’s smile. 

“Ah, nothing new on that front, really,” Kakashi says, filling a bowl with rice, and Gai makes a happy noise at the boy in question. 

“I'm sure it won't be too long now!” Gai says, optimistic as always.

Something about their interactions will occasionally make heat creep up into Kakashi’s cheeks, and this time is no different. He busies himself with his food, letting Gai talk about his mission, and letting the warmth of the apartment wash over him, settling back into it all. 

Gai gives him an interested look. “How’s teaching going?” he asks, and Kakashi sits upright in surprise. That’s right. Gai hasn’t heard about his students. Kakashi briefly summarizes the past two weeks of classes, and everything he’s decided about the kids so far. Gai looks intrigued when he mentions Izumi’s taijutsu skills. 

“And that other Uchiha brat has been a handful,” Kakashi continues. “But I can’t pinpoint what he’s up to exactly.” 

Gai laughs out loud at Kakashi, and Kakashi pauses helplessly. 

“I'm sure Genma will know. We’ll all go out to dango!” Gai announces, and Kakashi rolls his eyes. “We need a celebration for your new position in the village!”

“It’s only temporary,” Kakashi pleads, but Gai seems set on the dango, so he figures that’s what’s going to happen, and there’s not much he can do about it.

\---

The usual suspects do, in fact, end up at dango later that week including an overly enthusiastic Gai, a sleepy Naruto, and a sour-faced Genma. Kurenai and Asuma seem about the same as always. 

“What’s gotten into you?” Kurenai asks Genma immediately when he sits down at the table. Kakashi wasn’t planning on saying anything, but Kakashi’s main goal at these events is to avoid getting dragged into the conversation as much as possible. It helps having Naruto strapped to his chest like an adorable buffer.

Genma shrugs, flicking a senbon between his teeth, “Politics,” he mutters, and waves a hand. Kakashi can only presume this means he doesn’t want to talk about it, but Kurenai presses further.

“Come on, Genma, there’s no one really here,” Kurenai says, gesturing at the nearly empty dango shop, but Genma shakes his head.

“Nah, I’ll give you the rundown some other time,” he says finally, and leaves it at that. Kurenai looks a little put out at missing the gossip but Asuma shrugs, and the subject moves onto Kakashi’s newest least favorite topic. His current occupation. Which apparently is teaching brats.

“Kakashi-sensei,” Kurenai teases, her focus shifting to him with a predatory gleam in her eyes. “How’s your class?”

Kakashi glares at her and refuses to reply, but Gai nods thoughtfully, chewing on some dango.

“Ah, yes, it seems like Kakashi has been having trouble with Itachi,” Gai says after a few moments.

Kakashi glares his dango then, instead of Kurenai, as if perhaps the chewy rice ball is itself to blame for all of his problems. It’s not like he can ignore _Gai_ \- although admittedly he’s done it a few times in the past. But he did actually want to ask Genma about Itachi... Naruto looks up at him, blinking slowly as if he’s ready to fall asleep, and Kakashi feels himself relax a bit.

“Ah, well,” he says, forcing himself to reply, and then clears his throat a bit. “Itachi’s in my class.” 

“How’s the kid doing?” Genma asks, looking particularly smug for having gotten out of the previous conversation. Or maybe that’s just Genma’s usual look. It’s hard to say really. “He’s not playing nice?”

Kakashi shakes his head, “He’s doing something, that’s for sure.”

Kurenai gives him a confused look at that, “What do you mean?”

Kakashi shrugs, leaving his dango mostly untouched for now and pushing it away out of Naruto’s reach, although the kid looks like he’s about to fall asleep so it’s not likely he’ll be grabbing at it anytime soon. Kakashi begrudgingly explains about the sparring, the dodging, the peculiar way Itachi refrains from ever engaging with the other brats. He feels a little like he’s overthinking it, but it’s just _weird_. Especially for an Academy student, he thinks. He feels like it’s too familiar, like he’s missing something. Was he really this bad when he was this age?

“Maybe Genma’s just a bad influence,” he says finally, shifting the attention back to Genma again, and Genma holds up his hands in self defense.

“Woah, hold on now. I haven’t seen the kid in weeks,” Genma admits. “We stopped doing the usual training once he started Academy, and I got sucked into the Police Force.”

Kakashi looks up at Genma suddenly, “Really,” he says. “So it’s not you then?”

Genma shakes his head, “Nah, not me. I told him to keep his head down or something to that effect, but that’s all. It’s probably our favorite body-flicker brat, then.”

Kakashi hums in agreement, wheels turning in his mind. He picks up one of the dango after all, but then sets it down again realizing the logistics of eating it while still having Naruto strapped to his chest is probably not worth the effort. Gai quirks and eyebrow at him, and Kakashi motions for Gai to take the remaining one. Gai happily grabs it off Kakashi’s plate, and Kakashi feels weirdly pleased about it. It’s not like he likes dango that much anyways.

He clears his throat again, focusing on the topic at hand. “Perhaps it’s time to pay Shisui a visit and find out what exactly he’s been teaching Itachi,” he says.

“You’re that concerned?” Kurenai asks, eyes twinkling with something like amusement, and Kakashi shrugs. 

“Eh, the kid’s just acting odd, I guess,” Kakashi says, trying to brush off her comment, but Gai smiles fondly at him in a way that makes him look back down at his dango in self defense.

“How wonderful, Kakashi!” Gai says, and Kakashi’s careful not to meet his eye, because his face is burning too much for that.

Genma makes a sound like he’s nearly choking on his dango, and Kurenai elbows him. Kakashi glares at both of them. Most of this is probably Genma’s fault anyways. Kakashi’s pretty sure of _that_.

Asuma sighs, shaking his head. “I don’t know why I go anywhere with you guys,” he says, and Kakashi nods in agreement. He finds himself wondering the same thing, but perhaps is smart enough not to say it. Kurenai gives Asuma a wounded look, and the other man just shrugs, cheeks growing slightly red as he looks at something that’s suddenly very fascinating on the ceiling. Kakashi sighs, knowing that this isn’t going to be the end of it.

\---

On the walk back from dango, Kakashi’s still carrying Naruto strapped to his chest, but the kid’s a lot more active than he was earlier in the afternoon. He screeches at the top of his lungs, and Kakashi winces as a few people nearby glance over. Gai laughs cheerfully, and Kakashi can’t help but scowl at the other man, but it’s nice too in a way, to have Gai’s warm presence at his side again, so unlike anyone else’s. Much better than walking back to an empty apartment where he and Naruto spent the past few nights feeling a little more restless than usual. Kakashi frowns to himself at the thought, but Naruto’s chubby little fist smacks him in the shoulder during a particularly energetic burst of activity, and Gai laughs even louder. 

“He’ll be great at taijutsu!” Gai booms, “We’ll start teaching him as soon as he can walk!”

Kakashi would roll his eyes if he weren’t trying his best to avoid the gazes of the passersby, but something warm curls up in his chest, right under the weight of Naruto pressed against him, and he thinks that he’s going to enjoy when they _can_ teach Naruto ninja techniques. Of course he doesn’t admit as much, but he thinks Gai can probably tell anyways. 

In the evening, Kakashi sits on the couch with Naruto sitting up in his lap, while Gai does pushups on the floor below. Kakashi’s not really sure why Gai has to do evening exercises along with all of the other ridiculous things he does, but that’s just what Gai does, and he’s stopped questioning it after months of living together. Although he definitely hasn’t stopped rejecting Gai’s requests for Kakashi to assist him by sitting on him or standing on him or anything else closely resembling using Kakashi as exercise equipment. He averts his eyes at the thought, looking back at Naruto who’s smacking his fists on his knees happily.

Kakashi wonders when the next mission will be. What his next assignment will be. When he’s going to be put back in ANBU. _Where he belongs_ , he thinks. But then he holds out his finger and Naruto grabs on, giggling loudly. And Gai pushes himself up into a one-armed handstand, looking up at Naruto, his smile nearly sparkling as he does it. And Kakashi thinks maybe all of that can wait for another night, and maybe for now he can belong _here_ just like this.


	20. Chapter 20

Holding a stakeout for an Academy student and his chuunin-level cousin might be a bit of overkill, but Kakashi’s out of practice anyways, and to be fair, Genma’s the one who suggested it. They wait until Shisui’s back from his missions and won’t be going out on another one for at least a week or so. They meet at Genma’s apartment in the early morning on a day that the two Uchiha boys are likely to meet up for training. They do not invite Gai for obvious reasons. First of all, subtlety really isn’t Gai's strongest quality, and anyways someone has to watch Naruto. Gai pouts a bit at being left out, but it’s not like Kakashi wants to tell Mikoto or Hiromi that he’s planning on spying on the precious Uchiha heir and Uchiha’s favorite genius, respectively. He shudders at the thought.

Genma’s ready to go by the time Kakashi gets to his apartment. It’s not like they need much in the way of supplies or anything, so all that’s left is ironing out the actual plan of attack. Kakashi raises a hand in greeting. “Yo,” he says, and Genma nods back. 

“I’ll take Shisui,” Kakashi continues, but Genma shakes his head at that, mouth quirking up slightly. 

“Nah, you take the other one,” he drawls in reply. Kakashi scowls, because he really didn’t want to be the one following Itachi. How fun could it be to follow a first year Academy student anyways? Genma holds up a hand before Kakashi can protest. 

“Look, I feel bad enough spying on the kid,” Genma says, but Kakashi’s not willing to back down so easily.

Kakashi shrugs. “I’m his teacher,” he counters.

They have a momentary stand-off of wills before Kakashi nods in resignation. “Rock-paper-scissors, it is then,” he says.

“Best out of three?” Genma asks, nodding, and Kakashi agrees to the terms. Kakashi loses.

Genma looks a little too smug about his victory, but at least this doesn’t count toward Kakashi’s ongoing tally that he has with Gai. He’s pretty sure Gai’s winning on that account, too, and the thought doesn’t make him any happier about the situation.

“Alright, alright. I’ll take the younger brat,” Kakashi sighs. “Meet back here around noon if no activity.”

Genma nods, and then makes a little solute. “Roger, captain,” he says, and Kakashi’s aware of the sarcasm in his voice. Kakashi’s really glad he’s not actually Genma’s captain for anything.

The sky’s still dark by the time Kakashi gets to Mikoto’s house, but it’s getting to be a lighter shade of blue than before. He settles down to wait for Itachi to leave. He has to admit that it does feel strange spying on either of the brats like this, especially since Itachi’s been his shadow for the past few weeks before Shisui got back, but maybe it’s not so bad if he thinks of it like a particularly elaborate game of ninja tag. Besides, it’s for their own good. And anyways, probably his own, too, Kakashi thinks. He’s getting a little rusty after so long without a real mission. Even when he was watching Kushina, he didn’t have to be too sneaky about it. 

The light’s starting to filter over the horizon by the time Itachi leaves the house. Itachi exits via the front door and takes off full speed towards the forest, where the light hasn’t quite broken through the dense treetops yet. It’s difficult enough to see in there on a good day, so Kakashi pulls up his headband and lets his vision adjust to the sharingan as he follows. He doesn’t really need it to see, but it’s easier to watch the brat’s chakra signature as he flits from limb to limb. He’s fast - _much_ faster than he lets on in class, and he’s sure they have Shisui to thank for that. The older Uchiha boy is already getting a reputation for that body-flicker technique after all. 

Kakashi starts suddenly when Itachi’s energy splits in two ahead of him. _Shadow clones_ , he thinks, and the pieces click together quickly. The fighting style Itachi uses in class is the sort of style you’d use if you were fighting as a shadow clone. He feels smug for a second before he realizes that Itachi’s heading in two different directions now, and hurriedly makes a shadow clone of his own. The sharingan is draining enough by itself that splitting his chakra and using it with a clone is a little rough, but he’s managed to use it with several clones before. 

He nods at his clone in goodbye and follows what he’s pretty sure is the real Itachi. He stays back a bit, wondering what the kid’s going to do. Do he and Shisui meet up in shadow clone form to train? Does Itachi send his shadow clones to school? Kakashi tries to think back if he’s ever seen Itachi take a hit in class and can’t recall. _Those damn brats_ , he thinks, but it’s nearly fond. He’s pretty sure he would’ve done the same thing had he known the shadow clone jutsu at Itachi’s age. He’s got to hand it to the kid, that’s for sure.

The forest gets brighter around him and the trees thin out a bit as it starts opening up into a clearing. He hangs back even further, using the sharingan to track Itachi’s presence ahead of him. Itachi stops, and Kakashi’s startled again when a flurry of chakra signatures all hurtle towards Itachi at once. So much for sending off that shadow clone, he thinks. He feels something like panic then, but he pushes the fear down and darts forward into the sunlight, ready to attack if needed.

What he finds in the clearing exceeds anything he could have imagined. There are crows flying around Itachi. One lands on his shoulder and Itachi laughs aloud, talking to it. Shisui’s nowhere to be found, and Kakashi finds himself momentarily stunned. Summons? Where did the kid get summons? Surely Shisui doesn’t know how to summon anything yet, and Genma definitely didn’t teach it to the brat. Genma doesn’t even have summons of his own. 

Itachi’s head suddenly snaps to attention at something, and he turns, looking right where Kakashi has himself hidden. Right. The crows. Kakashi curses under his breath, and hops down from the tree, leaving his sharingan eye out, but pushes his hands into his pockets casually.

“Maa, Itachi-chan,” he says, and Itachi’s eyes widen when he sees Kakashi. “What do we have here?”

\---

Kakashi’s clone catches up to Itachi’s clone, and Itachi in this form meets Shisui for training.

Shisui tilts his head at the copy of Itachi, assessing him, and then goes in for a quick hit. Itachi dodges flawlessly.

“Hmmm, not going to make it easy on me,” Shisui says, and Itachi shakes his head, silent.

Kakashi watches the brats spar for a moment before he finds Genma, and Genma makes a sign for _all clear_. Kakashi shrugs in reply and mimics the seal for the shadow clone jutsu. Genma nods carefully confirming the seal, but his eyebrows rise up to his forehead protector when Kakashi points to both himself _and_ Itachi. Genma shakes his head, and Kakashi’s pretty sure that means that Shisui’s the real deal. So what’s Itachi doing with the clones then?

The worst part about being a clone himself is that he has no idea what his real body is up to, but he has a feeling it’s got to be more interesting than what’s going on here, although the kids are pretty fun to watch spar. 

Genma makes a sign for _engage?_ And Kakashi shrugs again, then pauses a moment and shakes his head. He’ll let the real Kakashi deal with the real Itachi for a while. Genma nods and they both settle in to wait.

\---

“Summons?” Kakashi asks, because it’s the most surprising element of all of this, and Itachi nods slightly. 

“I don’t summon them, really,” Itachi says, and Kakashi looks at one of the crows that’s still sitting on Itachi’s shoulder. It's a little disquieting. He’ll take his dogs any day, but he can see how crows would be useful. Especially as spies, he thins wryly.

“But they _are_ summons?” Kakashi presses, and Itachi nods again.

“They… helped me out once,” Itachi says quietly. “Shisui has a contract with them, too.” 

So much for Shisui not having summons. And what this first year Academy student has been getting up to that he would require assistance from _summons_ , Kakashi would really like to know, but that seems like it’s for another time.

“And shadow clones,” Kakashi continues dryly. Itachi has the grace to look chagrined at that.

“Ahh, you noticed,” he says, and looks down at the ground. The crow tilts its head to look Kakashi in the eyes again, and Kakashi finds himself looking away. The thing’s a little creepy, if he’s honest.

“I didn't use them in class,” Itachi clarifies. “Yet…” he mutters under his breath.

Kakashi has the urge to flick the brat on the forehead, but he resists. “And why not?” he asks. “I probably would have.”

Itachi glances up quickly at the admission, and Kakashi nearly laughs. “What? I didn’t like Academy much either,” Kakashi says. 

Itachi shakes his head, “I thought you'd notice…”

Kakashi shrugs, “I noticed anyways. Your fighting style was too defensive for someone of your age.”

“Ahh…” Itachi says softly, and he looks so damned sad that Kakashi does reach out and ruffle the boy’s hair. He’s mindful of the crow of course, and the crow is mindful of him. Kakashi thinks it might look slightly offended, and he’s not really wanting to get on its bad side at the moment.

“Listen, kid,” he says, finally. “What you guys are doing here - well, it’s not _wrong_ , exactly, but it’s not like you’re in the middle of wartime either.” Kakashi hesitates on the next part of this, but he makes up his mind, and gestures to the crow.

“Alright,” he says. “Ask it to leave or something. Maybe tell it to go tell Genma and Shisui that we’re going to be here a while. I’m going to tell you about my team.”

Itachi’s eyes merely widen again, but he nods at the crow, and the crow somehow knows to leave. Kakashi’s not really sure how that works. Maybe the crow really did understand everything he was saying all along. His dogs do, at least, and who knows how crows work.

After the crow is gone and the forest is quiet, Itachi and Kakashi sit on the ground, and Kakashi starts talking. He starts from the beginning. 

Kakashi’s not sure what drives him to do this, but he feels like it’s important that Itachi knows about _his_ life. How _he_ graduated from Academy early. His father. His rival. His team. 

He thinks it’s especially important that Itachi knows about Obito and how Kakashi couldn’t stand him at first. Partway through the telling, Kakashi realizes that most of this has never been spoken out loud before, or at the very least not in this coherent of a form, all laid out, piece by piece. He thinks maybe it’s a little weird that Itachi’s the first person to hear it all, and he pauses, feeling the memories threatening to overwhelm him again, like they always do. The weight of it feels nearly crushing, but he pushes it back under Itachi’s curious gaze. Itachi breathes in with understanding, “Your friend, with the sharingan,” he says, and Kakashi nods and tells the story of how Obito _got_ his sharingan, and then how Kakashi got his. And then he tells Itachi about Rin. 

And when he’s done, Kakashi thinks that Itachi really is a startingly astute kid, and he thinks that a kid like that is going to have a rough time of it in this world that they live in. But there’s really not much that either of them can do about it.

“You have to build a team,” Kakashi says finally, and it’s all the advice he really has, and Itachi seems like he’s really listening, and Kakashi hopes that he is, because he doesn’t think he will ever be able to do something like this again. 

“Itachi,” he says. “Academy is where you learn how to build a team. Be in a team with your classmates.” He waves his hand. “All that other stuff,” he says, taking a breath. “None of that’s really important. You can always train harder to become a better ninja. But it’s really hard to find a good team,” he finishes quietly.

Itachi nods slowly. He’s quiet for long while after that, but finally Itachi nods again and says, “I think I understand.”

Kakashi reaches a hand out to ruffle the kid’s hair again, ready to break the moment, feeling completely exhausted. He stands up abruptly.

“Good,” he says, and he pushes the weight of the past off of his shoulders and far, far back into the depths of his memories. He offers a hand to Itachi to help him to stand as well.

“Come on,” he says finally. “It’s about time to meet up with Genma. He’s off watching your other half - well, and probably your _other_ other half, I suppose. So let’s go meet up with them and then we’re going to find your mom and have a nice little talk.”

Itachi’s thoughtfulness slides off his face to be replaced by something that closely resembles terror. Kakashi lets himself smile a bit at that under the mask, and he thinks that maybe between him and Mikoto and Genma, the kid might have a chance after all.


	21. Chapter 21

Summer’s in full swing by the time Kakashi’s temporary assignment as an Academy teacher comes to end. It’s the last day of classes before summer break, and when he arrives at the classroom, the kids are already barely able to sit still in their chairs. As first years, they won’t really get much in the way of homework for their summer break, but during the morning, Kakashi goes over a few things that they can do to practice in the interim to be ready for the fall term. He knows at least one of the little brats who will be taking his words to heart and probably going a bit overboard in the meantime.

Ever since the shadow clone incident a few weeks ago, Itachi’s seemed to relax a bit more both inside and outside of class. Kakashi’s kept pushing Itachi to make friends with some of his other classmates, though, and it seems that Izumi and Hana have stuck. Izumi would’ve probably kept trying anyways, but regardless, Itachi’s been sitting together with them over lunch and sparring more with them during the afternoon practices. Kakashi’s admittedly glad to see Itachi acting a little bit more like a normal first year, although he knows that Itachi still trains _way_ more than anyone else in the class. He supposes some things can’t be helped. 

By lunchtime, the air’s already heavy with humidity and the incessant sound of cicadas, and the kids have completely lost focus. Kakashi’s glad for the surprise he’s prepared for them for the afternoon. He figures he might as well get himself into a little bit of trouble on his last day as a teacher, and Genma and Gai were both eager to help him plan it. And anyways, he thinks the brats will enjoy it. 

“Alright class,” he says finally after they’ve settled into their seats, although settled is a very loose word for some of them. “We’re going to go on an adventure,” he announces, and a few of them groan audibly. It reminds him of his first day, and he feels a little nostalgic.

“Maa, don’t be like that,” he says. “This is the last day I’ll be your teacher. When you get back from break, Funeno-sensei will continue for the rest of the year.”

Some of the students do look a bit sad at that, but he thinks a few others look relieved, especially the brats in the back row. Kakashi’s definitely not going to miss that handful.

“Alright, alright,” he says, holding up his hands. “Follow me.”

He takes them to one of the tamer training grounds that he knows will be empty around this time. Genma couldn’t make it for the actual event, but it’s easy to spot Gai waving excitedly in the distance. Hiromi had been more than happy to agree to a day of watching Naruto so Gai could join.

“Why hello! What a glorious day for a game!” Gai shouts across the training ground, and Kakashi has to restrain himself from rolling his eyes. Some of the children whisper to each other as Gai jogs over to them carrying a storage scroll, but others are nearly bouncing up and down with excitement. Izumi especially looks pleased.

Kakashi lifts a hand in greeting to Gai, and Gai grins back at him. 

“Students, this is one of the best taijutsu jounin in the village,” Kakashi introduces. “Say hello to Maito Gai-sensei.”

A few students stare at him in awe, but Kakashi’s not sure if it’s from the introduction or the especially bright green spandex. It could go either way, really. Gai gives them his best Good Guy pose and thumbs up, and Kakashi does roll his eyes at that. There’s only so much he can take. Finally though, Gai holds up the storage scroll, and the kids grow quiet around him, eyes wide and curious.

“Hmmm,” he says, playing it up a bit, voice booming as usual. “I suppose you all want me to open this, then?” 

Itachi perks up, and Hana elbows him with excitement. Izumi nods frantically, and a few others of the students say, “Yes, sensei!”

Gai releases the seal on the storage scroll and out tumbles a multi-colored pile of bandanas. 

“We’re going to play a game,” Kakashi says, and he feels the corner of his mouth twitch up in anticipation. Genma helped him come up with the original idea for this, and Gai, of course, will help with the execution.

They split the students into two large groups and then smaller three-person cells within the groups. Kakashi makes sure to separate Itachi from his two usual teammates to even out the odds a bit. Itachi doesn’t seem too happy about it, but Gai winks at him, and Itachi shrugs, face coloring a bit in reply. 

Kakashi shows them all how to tie the bandanas onto themselves in an easily accessible location, and then hands a larger scroll to one team on each side. 

“Gai and I will be standing on either end of the training grounds,” Kakashi begins. “Your three-person teams should work together to protect the scroll on your side while trying to steal the other side’s scroll. First side to get both scrolls back to one of us wins.”

Some of the kids look eager to begin but Kakashi holds up his hand. “A few ground rules though - if someone steals your bandana, you’re out. And no clones allowed.” He directs that last part to Itachi who merely rolls his eyes while some of the other kids look at him in confusion. “Oh, and no lethal force,” Kakashi says in conclusion. “Your parents wouldn’t like that very much,” he shrugs.

Gai gives him another thumbs up, and Kakashi nods to signal the beginning of the game. “Go at it!” he says, and chaos erupts around him.

In the end, Hana and Izumi’s side get two scrolls to Gai, who spent most of the game doing push-ups on the other end of the training ground. Kakashi will not admit to watching quite a bit of those push-ups, but if he _was_ , it’s only because he’s amazed that the other jounin doesn’t seem to sit still for even one minute at a time. 

Either way, Kakashi’s impressed at the teamwork coming from Hana and Izumi. Who knew they’d be able to get their entire offense to target Itachi like that? He’s equally impressed that Itachi somehow managed to keep his bandana throughout the whole game, although his side did end up losing their scroll. In fact, Hana and Izumi still have their bandanas as well, and Kakashi feels a sense of pride at this little trio wash over him. 

It’s quickly suppressed, however, when all three brats rush him at once in some sort of coordinated attack at the end. Most of the other kids have collapsed into tired heaps around the training ground, but these three still seem to have energy to spare. Kakashi laughs out loud, dodging them easily. His own bandana is still carelessly dangling off of his tools pouch, but none of the three get close enough to touch it. Itachi ends up being the last one standing, and when Kakashi lifts the bandana off of the kid, Itachi nearly pouts. Kakashi can’t repress his smirk in reply.

Gai jumps in with an attack of his own, though, once all three kids are finally down, and Kakashi feels the edge of a real sparring match starting between them. He falls into a stance easily, and his mouth stretches across his face in a grin hidden by his mask. He feels reckless suddenly in a way that he never does. He motions for Gai to come at him again, and Gai smiles hugely, nodding in agreement.

They haven’t fought like this in _ages_ , Kakashi thinks, and he wonders if it’s ever felt this good before.

They call a truce eventually when Kakashi realizes the sun is getting too low in the sky, and the kids probably need to go home.

“Ah,” he says, slightly embarrassed as he addresses the students. “Sorry to keep you so late on the last day of classes.”

The kids don’t seem to mind at all though, and while some of them start heading back, the trio remains behind to help pick up the remaining bandanas. Izumi smiles up at him, huge and bright, as she drops a few onto the storage scroll and says, “Kakashi-sensei, will you still teach Hana and Itachi and me over summer break?”

The request gives him pause for a moment, because somehow he thought he’d probably not see most of these brats again until they were at least genin or chuunin, but after a moment he merely nods.

“Sure,” he says, and then he clears his throat. Hana looks pleased at the reply, too, and Itachi merely looks like Itachi, but Kakashi thinks that maybe it’s a little more excited than usual.

“That’s great!” Izumi says, smile breaking out even wider across her face. “Will Gai-sensei help, too?” she asks, and Gai’s ears perk up next to them. 

She’s good, Kakashi thinks, as Gai’s eyes well with tears of excitement and joy. Gai proclaims that he would love to help them in their youthful endeavors, and Hana raises an eyebrow at Itachi, who just shrugs back at her. Well, if this doesn’t scare them off, then they’ll probably all be great students for Gai anyways.

They make plans to meet the following weekend as they finally pack up all of the remaining bandanas. When they’re done, Izumi happily waves goodbye, and Kakashi nods in return, watching as her and Hana run off. At some point during this time, Gai had started running laps around the training ground, still somehow full of energy after all of that, but Itachi lingers behind, kicking at the ground, looking almost sad.

Kakashi wants to say something about still being Itachi’s teacher even if he doesn’t have classes with him anymore, but he can’t find the words. He thinks he used them all up a few weeks ago when he told Itachi about his own time at Academy. On an impulse, Kakashi reaches out and flicks Itachi’s forehead instead. An irritated brat is better than a moping brat, he thinks, and Itachi looks up at him, scowling.

“What did you do that for?” he complains, and Kakashi smiles at the kid, although he’s not sure the kid can see it under his mask.

“I’ve been wanting to do it all semester,” Kakashi says honestly, and Itachi rubs his forehead, still frowning. Kakashi ignores him and waves a hand to get Gai’s attention. Gai jogs back over to them. 

“Yosh!” he says, and continues to jog in place. “Let’s go get Naruto!” He keeps up the odd pace the entire time they walk back to Hiromi’s place, Itachi at their side.

\---

Hiromi greets them all at the door with Naruto on her hip and Sasuke at her feet. Sasuke immediately crawls towards Itachi, babbling happily. Itachi smiles softly at his younger brother, and reaches his hand out. Sasuke grabs at it, and Itachi helps him to rise to his feet, and the younger boy sways a bit but holds steady. 

Sasuke’s going to be a year old in a few days, and he’s really getting much better at walking. Gai’s convinced that spending more time with him will encourage Naruto to do the same. So far, however, Naruto’s managed to pull himself up using the couch and various other furniture, and sometimes he bounces up and down a bit on his chubby little legs but he has taken no steps. 

“How was your last day before break?” Hiromi asks Itachi, and Itachi shrugs, but Kakashi can still see a small smile on the kid’s face.

“It was fun,” he says, finally, and Hiromi laughs, handing Naruto over to Kakashi. Kakashi gladly accepts the boy, and Naruto’s bright blue eyes light up as he attempts to grab Kakashi’s nose. Kakashi dodges skillfully.

“I’m glad, Itachi,” Hiromi says, and she brushes the hair out of Itachi face, much like Mikoto does.

“How was _your_ day?” Kakashi asks Naruto quietly, and the kid shrieks with happiness, so Kakashi thinks it couldn’t have been too bad.

Gai laughs out loud next to him. “Sasuke is a most wonderful influence! I’m sure they will be training together in no time!”

Kakashi nods pleasantly at that. “What do you think, Itachi? Time to teach Sasuke shuriken yet?” he teases, and Itachi shrugs, but he doesn’t deny it. Kakashi thinks the kid’s probably excited to have a little protege as well.

Kakashi puts Naruto down, and then helps him to stand, holding both of his hands while Naruto bounces up and down squealing. Sasuke waves a hand at Naruto, and Itachi smiles down at both of them. They’re going to be vicious little brats, all three of them, Kakashi thinks, something warm settling into his chest at the thought. He and Gai don’t stay for too much longer after that.

In the evening as they feed Naruto and have their own dinner, the happy events of the day seem to fade. It’s only been a few months, but Kakashi feels a strange sense of loss at the idea that he’s not going to be going into the Academy to teach anymore. Instead he’ll be reporting to the Hokage’s office soon for his next assignment, whatever it might be. 

Gai gives him a fond smile over the table, and Kakashi looks down at his food. He’s not sure what he wants his next assignment to be, he thinks, and he can’t bring himself to say anything about it for the rest of the evening.

Naruto’s long asleep by the time Kakashi lays down on the futons next to him and Gai. Maybe it’s strange, but they’ve kept the same sleeping arrangements all this time, ever since those first few terrifying nights. They put Naruto down to sleep much earlier in the night, and then at some point later, Gai usually passes out the moment his head hits the pillow as far as Kakashi can tell. Kakashi stays up much later than either of the two of them though. And some nights, he lays down next to them, only to find himself staring at the ceiling, sharingan memorizing the patterns in it. It’s more familiar now than even his own apartment’s ceiling ever was. Other nights, he merely stares at Naruto, sleeping softly between them, and wonders about a lot of things. Tonight’s one of those nights.

He thinks a lot about the future now, in a way that he never really did before. He also finds himself thinking about the game earlier and the sparring match with Gai afterwards. He wants to spar with Gai again, he realizes. He wonders why he always tried to brush Gai off in the past when he challenged Kakashi. He -

“Kakashi,” Gai whispers suddenly, and it’s so unexpected that Kakashi nearly jerks back in surprise, but he manages to restrain himself. He’s been so lost in thought that he didn’t realized that Gai is awake after all. He wonders how many nights they’ve been laying side by side awake like this without him realizing it. His face heats suddenly at the thought. 

Gai laughs softly, though, and the sound is soothing. “Go to sleep,” he says. “We can figure it out in the morning.” His voice is heavy in a way that makes Kakashi’s breath catch in the back of his throat, and Kakashi shuts his eyes tightly, feeling suddenly too warm. 

Kakashi finally nods, but says nothing in reply. He doesn’t want to risk opening his eyes again. He’s not sure if Gai can even see him. Kakashi’s got an unfair advantage with the sharingan after all, but Gai’s more observant than he lets on. Somehow Kakashi must fall asleep after that, though, because he doesn’t remember anything else for the rest of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so, is ninja tag a canon thing other than in fanfiction? I thought ninja tag might be too violent for first years, so ninja capture the flag sounded fun, instead. :3


	22. Chapter 22

Kakashi wakes up with blood on his hands again. Or maybe, more accurately - he wakes up with the memory of blood on his hands. But given the sharingan, sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference first thing in the morning. He’ll always be able to recall it as if he’s seeing it again for the first time. Her wide eyes, the blue of the chidori. And this morning, the sound of her whispering his name echoing in his ears. Rin. It’s usually Rin. Sometimes Obito. Regardless, he thinks the nightmares are getting worse.

It’s bright in this room though with sunlight filtering in through the windows, and Gai is talking to Naruto in the kitchen. It must be mid-morning already, and Kakashi forces himself to calm his breathing. He has no idea if Gai knows about the nightmares. He wonders if he ever talks aloud in his sleep. Even as direct as Gai usually is, Kakashi’s not sure if Gai would mention it. This is something unspoken between them - Kakashi’s past. Gai’s been there through most of it, so he must know about it, but… well…

Kakashi resists the urge to go to a sink to wash his hands. The blood won’t come off - he knows this. He knows it’s not real. Not anymore, at least. And yet, he feels like his hands are dirty, like he can’t touch anything for fear of spreading it. He forces himself to stand up, taking another deep breath. The only thing he can do is push forward, start his day, regardless of the dreams.

It’s been two weeks since the end of Academy classes for summer break. Kakashi and Gai both kept good on their promises to train with Itachi, Izumi, and Hana, but other than that, most of Kakashi’s days have been spent waiting for the other shoe to drop so to speak. And then the nightmares each night in between. 

He has trouble meeting Gai’s eyes over breakfast as he shuffles in, but Naruto shrieks something incoherently happy at him, and his heart twists. He manages to smile at the boy, this little ray of sunshine in his dark mood, and makes a half-hearted attempt to eat something. He doesn’t really succeed.

He thinks maybe today he’ll do it. He knows he needs to get on with the rest of his life. Go to Sarutobi himself, perhaps, and ask for the reassignment directly. He knows it can’t be delayed much longer. What else is there for someone like him, other than to go back to his original purpose? He is a ninja, and he must serve his village in the only way he truly knows how to.

“I’m going out for a walk,” he says, before he’s really even finished eating, and Gai looks up at him in surprise. Kakashi shakes his head before Gai can say anything though, and he feels guilty about it as he leaves. He feels like he’s running again. 

He can’t do it, yet, though. Not today. Instead, he’s heading towards the memorial stone. He wishes, suddenly and briefly, that Minato-sensei or even Kushina were still here. He thinks they would know what to do. He doesn’t know what to do other than what he’s always done, and he knows it’s going to be a disappointment. To Gai, to Naruto.

He startles suddenly, seeing Genma propped up against a building outside of the apartment. He tries to avoid the other man but Genma steps out in front of his path, and Kakashi can’t bring himself to body-flicker away like he might have a year ago.

“Hey there,” Genma drawls, appraising Kakashi carefully. “We need to talk.” 

Kakashi averts his eyes, feels his mouth turning down, panic beating a drum in his chest.

“I have nothing to talk to you about,” he says, as casually as he can, but Genma rolls his eyes at him.

“Yeah, you do,” Genma says, and he sticks his arm out to block Kakashi when Kakashi makes a half-hearted attempt at sidestepping him. Genma’s hand pushes lightly against Kakashi’s chest as if in warning. The physical contact is shocking and abrupt, and Kakashi pauses. 

“What are you going to do? Make me fight you?” Genma asks again, exasperated, and Kakashi takes a step back, feeling something like relief washing over him at being challenged this way. 

“Like you could,” Kakashi mutters, and Genma laughs out loud.

“You really want to do this here?” Genma asks, and Kakashi glares at him, but he doesn’t make any further movements.

“What do you want?” Kakashi asks, finally, sighing and shoving his hands into his pockets. Genma relaxes at that, and shrugs.

“Just… I don’t know. Come to dango with me, okay?” Genma says, and Kakashi scowls at the other ninja.

“I don’t even _like_ dango,” Kakashi replies.

“Really?” Genma raises an eyebrow at him. “That’s what you’re going with?” He sighs. “Okay, ramen it is then.”

Kakashi gives up at that, not bothering to point out that he doesn’t even want to eat anything, and follows along at Genma’s side.

Teuchi seems a little confused as to why he has patrons this early in the morning, but he smiles at them both as they sit down at the bar. It’s way too early for ramen, Kakashi thinks, but at least it’s not dango.

Kakashi refuses to order anything, but Genma orders an extra bowl for him anyways, and they sit in silence until Genma sighs loudly and finally slides the senbon out of his mouth, tucking it away in a sleeve or wherever he puts them.

“Okay, this is the part where you tell me what’s wrong,” Genma prompts him, and Kakashi blinks at him blandly. Teuchi brings the bowls of ramen out to them, and Kakashi waves his hand at the one in front of him after Teuchi leaves.

“Why did you even order this?” he asks, and Genma rolls his eyes at Kakashi, before grabbing a pair of chopsticks and starting in on his own ramen.

“Just eat it, Hatake,” Genma says, but Kakashi doesn’t. He’s still thinking about the memories from this morning.

“Kakashi, anyone who walks within ten feet of you can tell that something’s wrong,” Genma tries again, conversationally, but Kakashi really doesn’t think that’s true. He frowns at the other shinobi.

Genma frowns back. “I should’ve made you spar with me,” he mutters, and the next slurp of ramen seems a little more aggressive than the last. “You’re even worse than Itachi.” 

Kakashi lets the silence settle around them for a few moments, as Genma eats and Kakashi avoids the subject. The shop is nearly quiet other than the kitchen sounds of something being prepared, and some light noise from the street outside where people are going about their daily business. Genma’s comment makes him think of finding Itachi in the clearing. The crows. He still wonders what happened to the kid that _crow summons_ decided to intervene. He’s not sure he’ll ever know. 

“ANBU,” Kakashi says, finally, quietly, and Genma sucks in a breath, setting his chopsticks down on the bar. Kakashi tries to ignore the look that crosses the other man’s face.

“You know I was in it,” Kakashi says, and it startles a laugh out of Genma.

“Of course,” Genma says, nodding. “Practically every ninja in the village knew you were in ANBU.” 

Kakashi shrugs and pushes his ramen bowl away. It was always a poorly kept secret. Mostly due to his reputation, he thinks. He forces the next few words out of his mouth, before he can think about them too hard. “I don’t want to go back,” he says. 

Genma’s staring at him still, and Kakashi thinks he probably made a mistake saying it outloud. His ears are ringing with the quiet suddenly. He thinks this was a terrible idea, after all.

But then, Genma looks down at his ramen again, shaking his head, and picks up his chopsticks.

“Ah, man,” he says. “What a relief.” And Kakashi finds himself staring at the other man instead now.

Genma shrugs waving his chopsticks at Kakashi, “Well, we all thought -” he shakes his head, cutting himself off. He takes a look at Kakashi’s ramen bowl on the bar and pushes it back to Kakashi. “Come on man, eat. It’s a little weird eating by myself here.”

Kakashi takes a deep breath and grabs some chopsticks as well. Genma continues, “Anyways, Gai’s already been pestering Sarutobi about it, in fact.”

“Gai?” Kakashi asks blankly, as if he’s never met the other ninja before. 

“Yeah,” Genma’s mouth quirks up into a grin, and he shakes his head. “Yeah, he asked Sarutobi to let him into ANBU.”

Kakashi’s hands pause on his chopsticks before he even takes a bite of the ramen. “He didn’t,” he says flatly.

Genma nods though, “Oh, you bet he did. Come on, it’s Gai we’re talking about here.”

Kakashi feels something warm crawling over his skin, something that’s part horrified and part proud. Of course Gai would do something like that.

“Anyways,” Genma continues. His eyes dart to the side to gauge Kakashi’s reaction, and it’s the only indication that he might have noticed it but is choosing to overlook it. Kakashi feels somewhat grateful.

“We all tried to talk him out of that one. He’s just not cut out for it you know?” Genma says. “That’s what Sarutobi said, too.”

“Ah, so I take it his request was declined,” Kakashi says. He feels like there’s a picture that’s coming into focus a bit more clearly now. He doesn’t listen to the rest of what Genma’s saying, because he keeps thinking about Gai trying to join ANBU and what ANBU would do to a person like Gai. There’s still an outstanding question echoing in the back of his mind though - Why would Gai request to join ANBU? 

Genma finally pushes his ramen bowl away, breaking Kakashi’s train of thoughts, and Kakashi misses the first part of what he says, but he catches, “And her and Mikoto have this _plan_ -”

“Mikoto and… Kurenai?” Kakashi guesses, trying to catch up, but he really feels like he’s lost all control of not only the conversation but his life in general at this point. 

Genma nods, though, so he must be right. “And Asuma. Well, and probably Gai, too. I think they’ve all discussed various possibilities.”

Kakashi nods slowly, although he has no idea what Genma’s talking about. He tries to rewind the past few minutes of conversation, but draws a blank. Genma waves a senbon at Kakashi, and Kakashi doesn’t remember seeing where the senbon came from.

“You _liked_ being a teacher, Kakashi,” Genma says. “Anyways, we all hoped you weren’t going to just request ANBU again or something and ruin it.” Genma gives him that side-eyed look again. “You seem like the type.”

Kakashi hesitates, but then nods again, because that is what he had originally planned. He assumed that’s what was expected of him. That he would rejoin ANBU after all of this was over. Whatever _this_ was...

“Are you even listening?” Genma asks finally, and Kakashi just shakes his head.

“No,” Kakashi says blandly. “Not really. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Genma bumps his shoulder with his own, and stands up. “You didn’t even eat any of your ramen,” he says with a sigh. “Come on, we’ll have them box it up, and then we’ll go talk to everyone about it.”

–--

Kakashi wants to body-flicker back to the apartment. He wants to shake Gai and ask him what the hell he was thinking. He wants to thank him. But Genma’s insisting on walking back with him in that sort of casual manner of his, and so when they finally get to the apartment, and when Kakashi opens the door, all he can do is stand in the doorway feeling vaguely out of breath. Gai looks at him with wide eyes. He’s holding Naruto’s hands, who is standing, bouncing with happiness, and something about the sight makes Kakashi feel completely overwhelmed.

“You -” Kakashi says, and he realizes the door is still open, and Genma’s standing right behind him, but he’s still wearing his shoes from outside, so he continues standing in the genkan, just staring at Gai and Naruto.

Gai tilts his head in confusion, something uncertain crossing his face that Kakashi really doesn’t like to see.

“You asked to join ANBU?” Kakashi manages, and Gai nods, still looking unsure, but he clears his throat, and scoops Naruto up into his arms. He’s standing too far away from Kakashi still though, so Kakashi kicks off his shoes impatiently, stepping inside. Genma trails in behind him, muttering something rude that Kakashi chooses to ignore.

“I tried, Kakashi, but the Hokage said I’m not cut out for it,” Gai says, and he looks a little dejected at the fact. Kakashi wonders when this happened. Why didn’t he notice?

“You really aren’t,” Kakashi says, because it’s all he can think of replying, and he feels like laughing at himself, at the whole situation, but he doesn’t. Gai gives him a hurt look, and Kakashi shakes his head, before Gai can interrupt. “No - I’m not -” Kakashi waves a hand vaguely, and Genma clears his throat next to him.

“Okay you two, break it up,” Genma says, and Kakashi feels his face heat at that, oddly enough.

“I’m not going back to ANBU,” Kakashi manages finally, and it’s really good to say it out loud. He doesn’t even know if it’s _true_ though. He clarifies, “I mean, I don’t think I’m cut out for it either anymore.”

Gai’s eyes are starting to well up with tears of happiness, and Kakashi wants to avoid this, whatever it is, but Gai surprisingly doesn’t do anything extreme. He just nods, smiling, and Naruto reaches up to grab at his face. Genma laughs.

“Alright,” Genma says, “Don’t mean to interrupt here, but I’d say my mission’s accomplished, so let’s go talk with Mikoto.”

Kakashi still only half knows what Genma’s talking about but so far he doesn’t care. For once in the past few weeks, he feels a little more hopeful about the future, and looking at Gai and Naruto, he thinks he could get used to this feeling. 


	23. Chapter 23

Mikoto’s at her office in the new Police Academy building when the three of them - well four, including Naruto - show up in her doorway. Genma’s obviously very familiar with the place ands nods casually to a few of his new teammates as they pass in the halls. The group gets some curious looks, and one kunoichi waves happily to Naruto, who smiles back, babbling something at her in reply.

Mikoto laughs at the look on Kakashi’s face when they finally make it to her office and motions for them to all come in. He supposes he probably looks a little out of it from the day he’s been having. Her office is spacious, but not overly large, and her desk is neat and orderly - much unlike the Hokage office, Kakashi thinks. The four of them fit easily in the office, and Gai pulls Naruto out of the carrier attached to his chest. Mikoto shuts the door behind them.

“So they’ve finally told you,” she says, still standing and giving him a considering look.

Genma sighs, rolling his eyes, “Well I did tell try to tell him, but he wasn’t paying much attention at the time.”

Mikoto smiles a little, and asks, “You’re not planning on rejoining ANBU?”

Kakashi shrugs at that. “If it’s what the Hokage requires of me, I will,” he says, but Mikoto shakes her head.

“I’ve been feeling a little bad stealing Genma from the Hokage guard,” she admits, but Kakashi seems to recall Genma being the one who wanted to leave his post, so he’s not sure where that’s coming from. Mikoto continues, “I asked Sarutobi about it. He still needs another guard member, Kakashi. He wants you to join.”

“Hokage guard?” Kakashi asks, and the words catch in his throat. He glances at the other two, and Gai nods excitedly. Genma nods once, as well, confirming and casually rolls a senbon along his fingers, twirling it at the end. Naruto scoots himself along the floor at their feet.

Kakashi stares at all of them. Hokage guard. It isn’t… Well, it’s not really something he had considered for himself. He wasn’t even in Minato’s own Hokage guard. He’s always seen himself as more of a weapon, not a shield. The thought must cross his face after all, because Genma shrugs, and says, “You’d be good at it, Hatake.”

Kakashi blinks something that’s definitely not tears out of his eyes. He knows how Genma feels about the Hokage guard position. He’s not sure if Genma’s forgiven himself for Minato’s death. Kakashi’s still not sure if he’s forgiven himself either, but he figures that every day with Naruto, he tries just a little bit harder to make up for it. Naruto looks at him curiously from the floor, and smiles at him happily.

“Well let me finish,” Mikoto says, when Kakashi says nothing else, and she pauses a moment until Kakashi’s eyes meet hers again. “I might have also requested that Sarutobi lend you to me on occasion, as well.”

Kakashi shakes his head at her, not comprehending. “What does that mean?” He tries to focus on this instead.

“It’s nothing fancy, Kakashi,” Mikoto replies. “It’s just that I need a part-time jounin instructor here at the Police Academy. Some of the recruits haven’t gone on very many higher rank missions and will need some extra training. Maybe once or twice a week, if you have the time,” she explains. Kakashi looks at her skeptically. Teaching jounin?

Mikoto laughs again. “Kurenai insists that you like being a teacher. And you’re intimidating enough for this bunch. Plus, you have a reputation with the skills to back it up.” She smiles at him softly. “You’d be good for the job.”

Genma’s full-on smirking at him at this point, and Gai looks so hopeful. 

“Well, I guess it’s better than teaching Academy brats,” he starts hesitantly. Mikoto raises an eyebrow at his word choice, but says nothing.

After a moment with everyone staring at him, and Naruto tugging at Mikoto’s pants, Kakashi nods finally, and says, “Yeah, I’ll accept it then.” Genma and Mikoto look vaguely relieved, and Gai smiles hugely at him. 

Kakashi clears his throat. “I’ll just - ah, well, I guess I’ll go talk to the Professor about it now.”

Gai’s smile is still all he can see when Mikoto replies, “We’ll go pick up Sasuke and head back to my place. You can join us there when you’re done.”

\---

Kakashi’s walk to the Hokage’s office feels like it’s happening in a dream. He pauses in front of the Academy building, staring at it. It’s mostly quiet now, with students still out for the summer. The Hokage office is quiet, too, and Kakashi greets the Professor’s secretary as politely as he can manage. He’s even using the door this time. A small smile curls at Sarutobi’s mouth when the doors open, and Kakashi steps through.

“Ah, yes, Kakashi. Your friends have been quite busy,” Sarutobi says, and Kakashi feels a little guilty at that, heat creeping over his face under the mask. He merely looks at the floor and nods. 

“Yes, Hokage-sama,” he replies, falling back on formality. He’s still not sure how everyone else got involved with this. The day’s unfolding so quickly - it’s like an ambush.

Sarutobi chuckles at his apparent discomfort. “You can relax Kakashi. I’ve been considering you for the guard position for a while now.”

Kakashi looks up in surprise at that. “You have?” he asks, and Sarutobi nods, puffing on his pipe.

“Hmm,” he says. “Well you’re a bit difficult to place now,” Sarutobi explains, and Kakashi waits patiently.

“With the Nine-tails container in your care - Naruto, of course - it’s unreasonable to send you off on too many outside missions,” Sarutobi continues. “If someone were to find out…” He trails off, “Well, plainly it’s a liability,” he says. “Jiraiya and I discussed it at length while he was here in the spring. We both agree that it’s too large of a risk to keep you in ANBU.”

Kakashi just stares at him, and it seems like his brain is filling up with static. Jiraiya… He hasn’t thought of the Toad Sage in months. 

“ANBU doesn’t seem like a good placement for you anymore, Kakashi. There have been quite a few jounin bothering me over the past two weeks who didn’t seem to think so either,” Sarutobi says, half-chiding, and Kakashi’s face burns again. Those meddling little...

Sarutobi continues before Kakashi can finish the thought, though. “But you are, after all, one of my most skilled young jounin,” he says, and Kakashi ducks his head a bit at that. Sarutobi chuckles again. “I can’t leave you in the Academy forever. Unless, of course, that’s what you would truly prefer?”

Kakashi shakes his head somewhat frantically. As much as he ended up reluctantly liking the little brats in the end, he doesn’t think he could handle being a full-time Academy teacher. He’s going to have enough on his hands with Naruto growing up. Him and Sasuke are bound to be little terrors.

Sarutobi nods to confirm and continues, “I do need guards, Kakashi. To be frank, I’m too old for this job.” Sarutobi sighs at this. “I’m not saying I’m not fit for it, but there are some who might challenge me in the future… And in light of that and everything else, I would gladly like to offer you a position on my guard team.”

Kakashi’s head spins briefly again as the words sink in. The Hokage guard platoon. He wasn’t even in Minato-sensei’s. Something about that had always bothered Kakashi, he realizes, although he’s not sure why. He’s never given it much thought before. Kakashi’s always been too good at what he does - a well-honed weapon.

But now, he will have to be a shield.

He breathes for a second, pushing back all of the second thoughts that start crowding his mind. Instead, he thinks of how happy Gai looked when Kakashi said he’d join the guard platoon. He thinks about Naruto, growing up in a world where Kakashi could teach him how to protect people, and where he himself could be protected. In the end, there’s really no choice in the matter. It’s what his Hokage requires of him, and he is a ninja, so it’s what he will do. Kakashi bows deeply, “It would be my honor to serve you, Hokage-sama,” he says.

Sarutobi smiles at this, nodding and puffing on his pipe again. “Yes, yes, Kakashi,” he says. “I think you’ve made a wise choice.”

Kakashi remains bowing for a moment, before Sarutobi tells him to relax again. Something mirthful sparkles in Sarutobi’s eyes as he says, “And Mikoto’s made me promise to let her borrow you on occasion, as I’m sure you’ve also heard.”

Kakashi nods at this, and Sarutobi nods back, but it’s as if it’s to himself this time. “It would be nice if the Military Police could become a cornerstone of the village again,” he says, and then he dismisses Kakashi, telling him to report back to the office for his official duties in a few days.

\---

By the time Kakashi gets to the Uchiha house, Itachi, Hana, and Izumi have appeared as well and are all crowded around Naruto and Sasuke. Several pairs of eyes look up at him, and Izumi scrambles to her feet and cheers, “Kakashi-sensei!” She bows excitedly at him, and he raises a hand in greeting, “Yo.” Itachi and Hana stand to bow as well.

“Why have you never let us meet Naruto before?” Hana asks impatiently, and Kakashi shrugs.

“It never came up,” he replies. “And Itachi sees Naruto all the time.” Hana looks slightly put out by this, like Itachi’s been holding back on her, and Kakashi has to stifle a smile. 

Gai claps him on the back, laughing, and Genma quirks an eyebrow at him.

“How did the meeting with Sarutobi go?” Mikoto asks, offering him tea. He takes her up on it.

Three pairs of young, watchful eyes lock onto him again, and Kakashi feels himself hesitate under the gaze.

Genma nods at him, though, as if telling him to continue, and Gai looks so eager that Kakashi finally admits, “I’m starting as a Hokage guard member in a few days.”

Izumi’s eyes widen and she squeaks, “Hokage guard?!”

Even Itachi looks reluctantly impressed. 

Hana scowls at him though, “So you’re really not going to be our teacher anymore?”

Kakashi shrugs, sticking his hands in his pockets. “Nah, I guess not,” he says, and Hana looks disappointed. Kakashi’s not sure why though - these three former students of his - why do they care what happens to their old teacher?

Gai grins next to him, though, and booms, “We’ll still meet up for practice! The power of our youthful energy cannot be stopped!”

Hana rolls her eyes at that, but Izumi smiles happily, nodding. “We’d really like that, Gai-sensei!” she says, and Gai’s eyes gleam with at her reply. Itachi looks as if the whole topic is bothersome to him, but Itachi always looks like that. His mouth quirks up in a small smile though as his attention goes back to Sasuke, and Kakashi thinks he’s probably looking forward to it as well.

Mikoto gives him a soft look, and Kakashi shrugs again, looking away, but he feels a smile tugging at his mouth, too. The brats’ enthusiasm is catching, he thinks.

“Well I’ve got to get going,” Genma says finally, standing and thanking Mikoto for the tea.  
“Kurenai’s going to be thrilled when she hears about this,” he says, directing this last part to Kakashi. “So you’d better tell her soon.”

Kakashi gives Genma a flat look, but Genma doesn’t take the bait. He just smiles lazily at Kakashi in return, and Kakashi feels suddenly thankful in a way he can’t express. He thinks Genma knows. He hopes so. He’s not sure how he’d ever thank him.

Gai has no such hesitation however, because he grabs Genma by the shoulders, tears streaming down his face. “Thank you, Genma,” he says simply, and Kakashi’s surprised at the words said so openly in this way.

The two younger girls who are less attuned to Gai’s antics stare at him in shock, but Itachi barely even blinks and continues to play with Sasuke and Naruto.

Genma just grins back at Gai, and Kakashi thinks of how Genma was on a genin team with Gai, and how Genma knows a side of Gai that Kakashi doesn’t. Genma laughs finally, “You’re welcome,” he says, and efficiently ducks out of Gai’s grip.

Gai gives a final sniffle at that, and Genma nods goodbye to them all as he leaves. Kakashi sits down at the table with his tea and watches Gai quickly change moods in the face of Naruto, Sasuke, and the trio of Kakashi’s former students. “Yosh!” he says, happily, “Let’s teach Naruto how to walk!” 

Everyone seems pleased by this idea, and Mikoto sits down next to Kakashi quietly, not saying anything further to him as they watch the antics of the others. Kakashi’s mind is curiously blank, and he finds himself unable to do much at all other than watch Naruto’s failed attempts at walking until it’s time for Hana and Izumi to leave for the evening. Once they depart, he and Gai pack Naruto up as well, bow their thanks again to Mikoto, and head home for the rest of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can never thank you all enough for your support! ^_____^ Sometimes when I post chapters like the one before this one, it's really nerve-wracking, but your kind feedback really means the world to me and makes all the difference. <3


	24. Chapter 24

It’s a bright and sunny morning, and it’s far too early to be waking up on Kakashi’s day off when Gai slides the curtains open, spilling sunlight into the room. 

“We’re training today!” Gai cheerily reminds him, and Kakashi groans, rubbing his hand over his face, uncertain of the hour.

Right. Today’s the day they promised Itachi, Hana, and Izumi to meet up for a full day of training. Classes are starting up again soon for Kakashi’s former students, and today’s probably the last day of training they’ll be able to fit in before the brats are all back in school. Between Hokage guard duties and Mikoto’s new recruits, Kakashi doesn’t get much time to sleep in anymore - not that Naruto ever really let him sleep in that late, anyways, he thinks. He squints against the sunlight until Gai’s shadow looms over him blocking it out entirely.

“Naruto’s already ready to go!” Gai announces, and Kakashi gives him the driest look he can manage at this early hour. Sure. _Naruto_ is the one ready, alright. Gai’s been overly excited at the prospect of having a taijutsu student - namely Izumi - and would probably train with her 24/7 if anyone let him. Kakashi sighs loudly and dramatically but sits up, anyways, somehow unable to resist any of Gai’s whims lately. Gai flashes him a bright smile and a thumbs up, ignoring Kakashi’s obvious and justified complaints, and disappears from the room as quickly as he arrived. Kakashi wonders if he’s done something terrible in a past life…

But really, he thinks, the past few weeks haven’t been bad at all, and it’s nice to wake up again to something other than nightmares. In the bright summer sunlight, his mindset of a few weeks ago seems unreal. He stands, stretching, and shuffles out to the kitchen area feeling completely unburdened and tentatively looking forward to the day ahead of them.

Gai’s sitting on the living room floor with Naruto, playing some game that involves a stuffed ninken, and Kakashi feels himself smile helplessly at the two of them. Naruto raises his head and shouts something undeniably happy, and Kakashi replies, “Good morning.” Gai gives him a soft look at that, but Kakashi pretends to ignore it.

He feels warm all over though when he sees the food set out on the table for him and mumbles his thanks, filling a bowl with rice and a few other things and sitting on the couch to watch Gai and Naruto play. Naruto lifts himself up using Gai’s knee and wobbles a bit, sitting back down quickly. Gai praises him happily.

“He’s almost there!” Gai says, and Kakashi shrugs, not replying. Naruto will walk when he’s ready. Mikoto said it could take a few more months still. Maybe not even until after his first birthday. Kakashi tries not to think about Naruto’s first birthday. It’s not too far off now, though, and Kakashi’s sure it will be here before any of them realize it.

Kakashi finishes his breakfast quickly, and they get Naruto packed up and strapped into a carrier for the journey to the training grounds. The day’s not too warm yet, and the walk over is more refreshing than Kakashi would like to admit.

Hana and Izumi are already at the large, otherwise empty training grounds by the time Kakashi and Gai get there with Naruto, and they pause their katas to bow and say hello. 

“What a glorious day to be training!” Gai exclaims, and immediately begins his warm-up routine, which is more along the lines of a full-body workout to most people. Izumi joins in, as well, but Hana goes back to her original exercises.

“Starting early?” Kakashi teases as he frees Naruto from the carrier on his chest, and Izumi nods happily from her place at Gai’s side. She’s been making a lot of progress with taijutsu over the summer, especially with Gai’s help, and Kakashi is privately glad that she’s able to hold her own against Itachi now in that regard. Her chakra reserves are still too low and unstable to hold the sharingan without passing out from chakra loss, but Kakashi thinks she’ll get there eventually. When she does, she’s going to be an unstoppable force.

Kakashi lets Naruto down to sit on the ground, and Naruto immediately starts tugging on the few tufts of grass that have managed to survive in the training grounds. Not for much longer it seems. They haven’t brought Naruto to training before today, but Mikoto and Hiromi were both otherwise occupied, and Kakashi still hasn’t been able to bring himself to trust anyone other than those two with watching Naruto. Itachi’s supposed to be bringing Sasuke along with him later, anyways.

“Pakkun could watch him,” Gai suggests from his upside-down position where he’s starting handstand push-ups. Izumi’s attempting to keep up, but she looks like she’s having some trouble already. Kakashi can’t blame her.

Kakashi shrugs. It’s not a bad idea, he thinks, and he summons Pakkun and Bull. The ninken can keep the youngest kids entertained and out of too much trouble, especially when Sasuke gets there. He’s been a lot more active recently. And besides...

Hana halts her training again, her eyes lighting up with delight when she sees the dogs.

“Ninken!” she shouts happily, practically sprinting over, and Kakashi can honestly say he’s never seen her this excited about _anything_. He thinks he should’ve brought the ninken out for his students when he was teaching at the Academy. Of course an Inuzuka would be excited about ninken. It can’t be too much longer until she’ll get her own. 

“Yo, boss! Who’s this?” Pakkun says, and Hana stares at Pakkun, and then back at Kakashi. 

“He can _talk_ ,” Hana breathes, and Kakashi nods at her, before replying to Pakkun.

“One of my former students,” Kakashi says, and Pakkun nods thoughtfully. He turns to Hana.

“Nice to meet you,” he says, and she bows to him, and then proceeds asking him a million questions. Pakkun looks caught between being pleased and annoyed, and Kakashi rolls his eyes, thinking they might’ve lost Hana for today. 

Itachi shows up not too long after with Shisui at his side. Shisui’s carrying Sasuke, and he sets Sasuke down on the ground before bowing politely in greeting. Sasuke toddles over to Naruto, Hana, and the ninken, and Shisui gives Kakashi a wide grin. 

“Not a bad idea,” he says, gesturing to Pakkun and Bull. Itachi says hello to Hana, who looks torn between continuing her conversation with Pakkun and returning to training.

Kakashi raises an eyebrow at the chuunin, and Shisui shrugs, “Well, I had nothing better to do today, so I thought I’d watch.”

“You’d better be here to do more than watch,” Kakashi says in reply, but it’s a cheerful sort of threat. Shisui’s joined them a few times this summer when he’s been in the village, and Kakashi likes seeing how far the older Uchiha boy is progressing. 

Gai, on the other hand, is always overjoyed to see Shisui and Sasuke. 

“The more the merrier!” he announces, waving at them before he takes off, starting to run laps around the training ground. Izumi follows along. Brave girl, Kakashi thinks.

“Ready?” he asks Itachi and Shisui, after confirming that Naruto and Sasuke are safe under the watch of the ninken plus Hana. Itachi nods, face turning serious and determined, and both of the Uchiha boys come at him at once.

There’s something about sparring with these kids that’s more fun and more unpredictable than sparring with other jounin, Kakashi thinks. He keeps half an eye on Naruto and Sasuke, but it looks like the ninken have it under control. 

Gai eventually returns with Izumi, and Hana joins them as they begin to work on their form. Sasuke attempts to chase after Hana when she leaves his side, but Pakkun grabs the back of Sasuke’s shirt with his teeth, holding him in place. Sasuke babbles happily, trying to grab Pakkun’s headband in return. Kakashi snorts, and then goes back to focusing on his sparring match when he almost takes a hit from Shisui. With the older brat here today, he really has his hands full, especially since he’s leaving the headband on for now.

The next time he looks over at the youngest two, they are attempting to use Bull as some sort of climbing equipment. Sasuke’s tugging on the poor ninken’s jowls when Naruto grabs a handful of Bull’s skin and wobbles, pulling himself up, grinning. Kakashi winces, seeing it happen, but Bull doesn’t seem to mind their antics at all. He merely grunts, tongue lolling to the side, and lets Naruto do his thing. Kakashi shrugs, sure Pakkun will pipe up if they need anything. The kids are safe enough with the ninken, he thinks, and he needs to keep a little more attention on the sparring than he expected. 

Shisui gives him a feral grin and comes at him again. Kakashi’s not about to let some chuunin get the best of him though, even someone as fast as Shisui, and he gets ready to go in for the hit, mindful of Itachi coming in from another angle. 

Shisui’s eyes widen suddenly though, and he stops all motion. “Kakashi,” he says, staring over Kakashi’s shoulder, and Kakashi pulls the hit before it connects, dodging Itachi and rolling. He feels his heart drop, as he turns to see what Shisui’s looking at, only partially registering the fact that Shisui didn’t look worried at all.

He sees the ninken and Sasuke, but Naruto’s not holding onto Bull anymore. Instead, he’s standing, by himself, a step in front of Bull, staring directly at them. In fact, when he sees Kakashi look at him again, he screeches in excitement, and attempts a few more hasty steps towards him, before falling right on his bottom.

“He -” Kakashi says, and everything comes to a stop around him as the others realize something’s going on. Kakashi watches as Naruto’s eyes widen, unsure if he should cry or not.

“Gai!” Kakashi shouts, and Gai’s there in an instant, tears streaming over his face. He nods at Kakashi, and Kakashi knows he understands. Gai goes to Naruto, cooing praises at him. Bull looks pretty pleased with himself, too, and Pakkun says, “Well, would you look at that!” Sasuke claps his hands together.

Kakashi stares at it all in wonder. Naruto’s started walking.

Kakashi sits down onto the ground where he was standing and motions to Naruto with his hands. “Come here,” he says, and Naruto pulls himself up again with Gai’s help, still looking uncertain. Gai says, “You’re alright.”  Everyone watches.

Naruto looks at Gai and then looks at Kakashi again, and then he tries to take another step. Kakashi pulls his headband off suddenly, sharingan spinning, and feels tears forming in his eyes as well. Naruto giggles at him, reaches for him, and then falls again. Kakashi laughs out loud. 

“He’s really walking!” Gai says, and Kakashi wishes suddenly that they were home, at their apartment, in their space, and he feels this strange impulse, like he wants to grab Gai by the shoulders. Similar to what Gai did to Genma when Gai thanked him a few weeks ago. Kakashi shakes his head, trying to clear it, his eyes only for Naruto again. He smiles at the boy, and Naruto smiles back.

They don’t get much training done after that.


	25. Chapter 25

There’s a room in the apartment that neither Kakashi nor Gai use. They shut the door to Minato and Kushina’s room at some point in that first, chaotic week with Naruto, and by some sort of unspoken agreement, they’ve never opened it since. Kakashi finds himself looking at that door more often now, with Naruto’s first birthday coming up in less than two weeks. Naruto’s birthday will always have the shadow of the Nine-tails attack hanging over it, and Kakashi can feel it even now, looking at this door.

Thinking about it, he’s not really sure if Gai’s been in there or not. It’s possible he has - but Kakashi hasn’t been able to bring himself to open it, yet. Not even when he wanted to find a copy of Jiraiya’s book that Naruto’s named after. He considered it briefly then, but came up with some excuse not to follow through.

He finds himself looking at the door again today. Pausing in front of it. Gai’s doing some sort of ridiculous training routine that involves running around the entire village, and Kakashi’s alone in the apartment with Naruto. Naruto tugs on his pants leg, peering up at him with wide, curious eyes. Kakashi finds himself smiling down at the boy, and he lifts him up into his arms. 

“Do you want to see?” Kakashi asks, and Naruto giggles in reply. Naruto laughs at everything, but Kakashi still feels some sort of strange relief at the response.

Kakashi touches the door handle, finds himself pausing again, but then something inside him gives him a little push, and he opens it. 

It’s almost surprising when it turns out to be just a room after all. A modest bedroom. A little dusty, the air stale, even. Naruto sneezes, and Kakashi laughs softly.

“Sorry, kid,” he says. “Haven’t cleaned in here for a while, I guess.”

There are a few books on a bookshelf, some with bookmarks, and some open scrolls, too, laying on a desk. Two photo frames stand out to him on the desk. One photo of Minato and Kushina. And another familiar photo of _his_ team. Kakashi’s heart constricts. 

Naruto wiggles impatiently in his arms, wanting to be let down again. Ever since he’s started learning to walk, he’s all activity all the time. He jumps headfirst into learning new things, it seems, just like his mother. And perhaps also like Gai, if Kakashi thinks about it too hard.

Kakashi hesitates for a moment before finally telling himself he’s being ridiculous and letting Naruto down. He stands Naruto on his feet, holding onto one of his hands, and Naruto tugs at him, drawing Kakashi further into the room. Naruto squeals happily, and Kakashi smiles down at the boy again. It is a new place to explore, after all.

Kakashi finds himself at the bookshelf, scanning it for Jiraiya’s book, but he doesn’t find it there. Frowning, he looks again, but he doesn’t see anything promising. 

The pictures on the desk call out to him, again, but he can’t bring himself to linger in here for too long. He’s completed his original mission of looking for the book, he thinks. He’s not ready to explore any further than that.

After another moment or two, he scoops Naruto up again before the boy can get into too much trouble and brings him out of the room, closing the door firmly shut behind them. Gai’s coming through the apartment door at that moment, and Kakashi feels like he’s been caught doing something unusual. He shakes his head and mutters something about Jiraiya’s book, but Gai doesn’t press. Gai never does. Gai just smiles at him like always and starts telling Kakashi and Naruto about his trip around the village, and Kakashi puts the thoughts of the past away for another time.

\---

Although he’s firmly decided not to think about Minato and Kushina’s room, Kakashi does end up thinking about Jiraiya’s book again the next day. There’s an outdoor book stand on his way to the market, and he pauses in front of it. The stand, too, brings back memories of a different time that he’d rather not consider though. 

Right before he joined ANBU, he found another book here, he thinks. He doesn’t remember the title, but he remembers it was a morbid thing, and he remembers losing himself in dark thoughts at the time. He remembers reading it in the hospital when Minato asked him to guard Kushina. He thinks Minato was probably right to ask that of him. Carrying out ANBU-level assassinations was not the best thing for his mental state at that time, and even now, he can see that clearly.

Kakashi debates continuing on past the bookshop, but his curiosity gets the better of him, and he lets himself wander past the outdoor displays and into the store itself. He’s half wondering if he’ll see that particular book again, but mostly he’s thinking about finding Jiraiya’s book. He’s sure Kushina and Minato had a copy, but he’s not sure if he has the heart to search for it in their room any further.

The proprietor looks up at him with a startled gaze. Kakashi’s a bit of a known quantity among the civilians and not all of the rumors are pleasant. There’s his past with ANBU, the whole situation with Naruto, and of course, Kakashi’s always looked just like his father. 

Kakashi nods at the older man, though, and after getting over his initial wariness, the man smiles and says, “Looking for anything particular today, shinobi-san?”

“Hmm,” Kakashi replies, as he looks around the store. He pauses, and then makes his decision.

“Do you have a copy of Jiraiya-sensei’s book here?” He asks. He’d really like to read it. Plus, he can’t imagine the sales do _that_ well, so he might as well support the Toad Sage if they even have a copy of the thing.

The proprietor gives him an odd look, though, like he’s reconsidering Kakashi in a new light, and then he chuckles. “I see, I see,” he says, and then waves at Kakashi to follow. “We keep that sort of stuff in the back.”

Kakashi’s not quite sure what the older man means by that, but he follows him to the back of the bookstore where there’s a heavy curtain blocking off a section. He’s starting to get a bad feeling about the whole thing.

“We don’t want the young kids getting into this stuff,” the shopkeeper says, and then waves a hand impatiently. “Well go on - you’ll find it. It’s hard to miss - bright orange cover and all.”

Kakashi takes a hesitant step and then pulls the curtain back, peering inside. The space is quite small but well-lit, and it’s also full of more books. Kakashi’s not sure what he was expecting after such a strange interaction with the shop owner. The set of bright orange books, all lined up in a row catches his eye, though, and he nearly chokes when he reads the title - _Icha Icha Paradise_? Surely, _this_ isn’t the book that Minato and Kushina named Naruto after.

The guy said the book would be bright orange, though, so Kakashi pulls one off the shelf and peers at the cover. The author’s name is suspiciously absent. He opens the flap, and sure enough, there it is - Jiraiya. Kakashi desperately tries to think back to recall the name of the book that Jiraiya wrote, but he can’t. He flips through the pages to see if the name Naruto is mentioned anywhere - but some of the content has him blushing, so he closes it quickly.

Finally, he sighs, ready to put it back, when the proprietor calls out to him, “Shinobi-san, did you find it?”

“Ah, yes. Yes, I did,” Kakashi replies, and hurriedly escapes the curtained room. As he leaves he notices that there are many other salacious-sounding titles, some with quite imaginative covers. When he returns to the main portion of the store, there’s an older woman and a young girl, and Kakashi quickly places the book on the counter before they can see the cover. He clears his throat.

“Um, was there - Does Jiraiya have any other books out?” He asks, as the shop owner accepts his money and then slips the book in a small paper bag. The whole transaction takes place before he can reconsider.

The older man’s eyes twinkle, “Ahh, I’ve heard he’s working on a second one.”

He taps the now-covered book conspiratorially. “If you like this one, come back. There are a few others I’ll recommend in the meantime.” And then the wink he gives Kakashi has him nearly running out of the store.

Kakashi quickly shoves the book in his flak jacket when he steps out into the busy activity of the village in late summer. He nearly forgets to go to the market altogether, too focused on the strange interactions in the bookstore. But halfway back to the apartment, he realizes what he had originally left to go do and curses, turning back around. By the time he goes to the market and back, he feels a little silly about the whole thing. 

Gai smiles hugely at him when he returns, and Naruto babbles something loudly. Kakashi waves at them, setting the groceries down on the counter. The book feels heavy in his pocket, like Gai’s going to notice it. Surely it can’t be _that_ bad, he thinks, but he’s still not going to be reading it around the house. Instead, he leaves it in his flak jacket for the rest of the evening. Just in case.

\---

The next time he thinks about the book, it’s the next day, and he’s in between tasks, so to speak. He’s just finished a training session with Mikoto’s rookies, and he’s about to start a shift on Hokage duty in the afternoon. The book’s been in his pocket all morning, because he has no idea what else to do with it. Putting it in a storage scroll seems a little paranoid, after all. It’s just a book.

He finds a discreet spot leaning against a tree and slips the book out of his pocket and out of the brown paper covering. He immediately feels conspicuous when the bright orange cover is revealed for anyone to see. But he needs to read the thing, right? He might as well, since he bought it. And there’s not much else to do while he waits. _And_ it was written by Jiraiya of all people… How bad could it be?

Truth be told, that should’ve been his first warning.

After a chapter, it’s plainly obvious what he’s gotten himself into. But it’s not like he hasn’t _thought_ about stuff like this before. It’s just that there’s always been other things going on, so he’s never thought about stuff like this all that seriously. But he reads another chapter, finding that he can’t put the thing down. And some of the stuff that the characters do - well it has him thinking about all sorts of things. The protagonist is leaning in towards a willing lady, and suddenly all Kakashi can think about is how _strong_ Gai is and what his forearms would look like if - 

Some undetermined amount of time later, Kakashi finds himself unwillingly being pulled out of the lurid story by an all-too-familiar drawl.

“So you’ve resorted to reading that kind of thing, have you?” Genma asks, chewing on a senbon with a wicked gleam in his eye.

Kakashi freezes internally, but stifles his initial reaction, which is to immediately shove the book back into his flak jacket where it belongs. Instead, he barely looks up from the pages, holding onto an air of casual disinterest. “Hmmm,” he says, noncommittally, hoping Genma will go away. He doesn’t think this will really work, however. Genma _never_ just goes away.

Genma snorts at him, though, and shrugs. “Whatever, Hatake,” he says. “See you around, then.”   


And he walks off with nothing more than a wave.

Kakashi finds himself finally being pulled up from the pages at that, utterly surprised. For a second, he’s not sure that Genma’s really gone. But he _is_. And in that moment, Kakashi realizes, that - for better or for worse - _he can use this_. In fact, it’s a brilliant decoy. He wonders if he could manage to never talk to _anyone_ again, he thinks, nearly gleeful. 

At the very least, this deserves some serious contemplation. He wonders how Gai will react to such a tactic. Probably with enthusiasm as with anything else, Kakashi thinks. But really he doesn’t mind Gai’s enthusiasm as much as he used to. And thinking about Gai starts leading to other sorts of thoughts again... And then he looks at the position of the sun in the sky and realizes he’s about to be late for his shift on Hokage guard duty. Before he body-flickers away, he shoves the book back into his flak jacket. A more detailed experiment will have to wait.


	26. Chapter 26

On the one year anniversary of the Nine-Tails attacks, Konoha plans to hold a memorial. Sarutobi tells Kakashi about it beforehand, in a quiet sort of way before Kakashi leaves one day after a shift as Hokage guard. Kakashi decides not to go. He doesn’t say as much at the time, but he thinks Sarutobi knows anyways. It’s Naruto’s first birthday after all, and Kakashi thinks that Kushina and Minato would want him to focus on their son. He doesn’t need to attend a memorial for them, anyways. He remembers them everyday that he lives in this apartment, raising Naruto and keeping the fire of their legacy alive. Or something to that effect.

When he wakes up in the morning though, on that day one year later from the event that changed Konoha so drastically, the weight of the day settles over him like a heavy cloud. He thinks maybe it’s better this way, and that it’s not fair that such a small kid would have to hold the weight of such a day, so Kakashi can easily take it upon himself. He’s cautious at breakfast, but Gai is only slightly less cheerful than usual, and greets him with a hearty, “Good morning, my eternal rival!”

Kakashi nods in greeting with a soft, “Good morning,” in reply, and immediately scoops up Naruto from his place at the table. Naruto’s face scrunches up, unsure how to respond at being taken away from his food, but then a smile breaks over his little face, and Kakashi finds himself helplessly smiling back. 

“Happy birthday, kiddo,” Kakashi says to him, and Naruto babbles some barely coherent syllables in reply. He’s nothing if not joyous, this boy, and Kakashi feels a slight pang thinking of what Minato and Kushina would think of their son now. He holds Naruto tight, willing the feeling to go away.

Kakashi clears his throat, and Gai looks up at him, curious. “I - ah - I’m not going today,” Kakashi says, and it feels wrong somehow, to admit this, but Gai merely nods thoughtfully.

“Let’s spend the day with Naruto, instead!” Gai agrees, and Kakashi feels relieved. Kakashi wasn’t sure how he’d reply. 

He nods, feeling some of the weight lift off of his shoulders. “Let’s do that then.”

\---

It turns out that they aren’t the only ones who decide not to go to the memorial. It’s not even mid-morning when there’s a knock at the door. Kakashi glances over to Gai who shrugs, and Kakashi makes his way over to the door to open it. Kurenai stands in the entrance with her hands on her hips and Asuma standing behind her. He looks only slightly uncomfortable and nods a greeting at Kakashi.

“We have to celebrate what we can, Kakashi,” is the only thing Kurenai says, by way of greeting and perhaps an explanation, and Kakashi makes a point not to notice that her smile is a little watery as she forces her way into the apartment, beelining for Naruto. Naruto, of course, adores her. Asuma shrugs in something like an apology, and Kakashi just nods back at him, letting him in as well. It’s almost too reminiscent of that day a year ago, but they’ve all gotten to know each other a little bit better and started getting along more now. Asuma finds a spot to lean against the wall in the living room, watching quietly as Kurenai and Gai play with Naruto. Kakashi thinks that he really doesn’t mind seeing them today.

Mikoto shows up not too long after with Itachi and Sasuke. When she sees Kurenai and Asuma already there, she makes her apologies, but Kakashi waves her in anyways. “Might as well,” he says, and she lets Sasuke down to toddle over to Naruto. Itachi bows politely, and sets a bag he’d been carrying down at the table. Kakashi’s curious but doesn’t look inside. 

“How’s Funeno-sensei treating you?” he asks, smiling at the kid in the most unsettling way he can manage. He’s sure Itachi can’t tell with the mask, but he hopes the effect comes across anyways.

Itachi scowls, “What did you tell him?”

Kakashi shrugs innocently, “Maa, Itachi-chan, what could I have possibly told your teacher about you and your friends?”

Itachi looks suspicious, but Mikoto laughs happily at this, and Kakashi’s glad to see her smiling today. Mikoto and her family lost so much a year ago, today as well. She gestures at the bag Itachi brought, “A little gift,” she says, but doesn’t move to open it yet. “Maybe later.”

Kakashi nods, accepting that. Naruto’s overwhelmed with the newcomers, and screeches happily to see Sasuke again. Those two brats are going to be impossible to separate, he thinks, and he imagines they’ll have to train them in complementary styles. He’s sure Gai’s going to try to get Naruto into taijutsu early, but he wonders about Sasuke.

Genma shows up quite a bit later than any of the others, by the time everyone’s settling into spots around the apartment, mostly in a haphazard circle around Naruto. When Kakashi opens the door, Genma looks nearly forlorn, and Kakashi nods at him, understanding. 

“Yo,” he says, and Genma shrugs a shoulder in reply, tilting his head back in some sort of recognition.

“Can I?” he asks vaguely, and Kakashi steps aside, letting him in. Genma’s eyes widen when he sees everyone else in the apartment and realizes how full the little space is already.

Kakashi shrugs, “As you can see, everyone else has the same idea as well.”

“Ah, I can come back later,” Genma says, turning to go again, but Kakashi shakes his head.

“Gai’s already seen you,” he says, and it’s true. Gai’s standing up from his spot on the floor next to Naruto to come greet Genma. “You’ll never get away now,” Kakashi mock-whispers, but he’s sure most of the room can hear him.

Genma laughs a little at that, softly and unsure still, but joins in the group anyways. After saying hello to Gai, he sits down on the floor next to the youngest kids, and Naruto immediately crawls into his lap, squealing happily to see the newest arrival. 

“Happy birthday, kid,” Genma says, and it’s a little sad, but he’s smiling at Naruto anyways. Kakashi can understand. Naruto has that sort of effect on people.

Kakashi and Gai had discussed whether to hold any sort of official birthday celebration, but they decided against it, considering. But looking around the room, it seems like the others had decided on it without them. 

Kakashi’s tempted to bring out his new book in moments of silence, when threads of conversation drop, but it’s in his flak jacket, which he’s not even currently wearing. Plus he’s already read it twice since finding the thing, and he thinks everyone in this group’s starting to wisen up to his tactics. The last time he pulled it out in front of Kurenai, Kurenai didn’t in fact leave, but rolled her eyes at Kakashi. “Good luck with that,” she had said, and Kakashi’s still not exactly sure what she meant by _that_. He still thinks the book has potential, but maybe this is the sort of social situation he doesn’t mind so much anymore. At least not as much as he used to.

Mikoto smiles at Kakashi, and gets up to grab the bag from the table. She pulls out a large, carefully wrapped bundle. “I brought a mochi over for Naruto,” she says, teasing, and Kakashi shakes his head at her, not really into the idea.

Around Sasuke’s birthday, Mikoto explained that some of the more traditional families strap a large mochi onto their child’s back to carry around on their first birthday. Kakashi doesn’t remember doing such a thing or seeing it done, but he hasn’t known many other kids. Gai seems really into the idea though, and Kakashi shrugs helplessly at Naruto hoping the kid will forgive them.

“It’s good for him, Kakashi,” Mikoto says, and Gai nods enthusiastically, eyes gleaming.

“He can start his strength training now, in the prime of his youth!”

Kakashi doesn’t think it’s the prime of Naruto’s anything, but he lets them use a large piece of cloth to strap the thing into place on Naruto’s back like a turtle shell. Naruto looks a little bit like one of Gai's summons.

Naruto wobbles a bit with the mochi on his back, and toddles over to Gai, collapsing onto Gai’s lap. Genma laughs out loud at this, looking nearly surprised at himself for doing so, and Kakashi finds himself smiling, too. Itachi looks vaguely offended at the whole thing.

“Mom and Aunt Hiromi did this with Sasuke, too,” he grumbles, and Mikoto laughs again. 

“And we did the same thing on your first birthday with your father!” she says, and Kakashi thinks there might be tears in her eyes, but she blinks them away quickly. 

“Aren’t you supposed to give him a little shove?” Kurenai asks, innocently, but Kakashi shakes his head. 

“He’s already had enough of a those,” Kakashi says, and Kurenai smiles sadly at him, but it’s a sympathetic look.

“I suppose he has,” she says, trailing off, as they watch Naruto struggle to his feet again. As odd as the whole thing is, Kakashi can’t help but admit it’s pretty cute, and Naruto doesn’t seem to mind it too much.

When Naruto finally makes his way over to Kakashi, falling into Kakashi’s lap next, Kakashi takes the mochi off of him. “You did great, kid,” he says. “Happy birthday.”

\---

After everyone’s left, Naruto’s sleeping on Gai’s chest on the couch, and Kakashi looks at them both fondly. He finds himself drawn to the closed door again. The one he opened a few weeks ago and hasn’t opened since.

He opens the door easily today, and steps inside. His cheeks feel wet, and he can feel the tears starting to soak through his mask already, as his eyes fall to the photographs on the desk. He picks one up - the more familiar one - the one of his team. It’s an older pain now, even though it’s still not that old. It’s also not as fresh and bright as it used to be. The other photo is a different sort of pain. He finds himself hanging onto it for a moment, staring at their faces, seeing the blood smeared across Kushina’s face, hearing her words to him again - “Take care of him,” she said.

“We’ve been trying,” he says to her photo, softly.

Gai’s behind him now, he realizes, standing in the doorway. And then he feels a warm, solid hand against his shoulder. Gai doesn’t say anything, and Kakashi doesn’t say anything either, and Kakashi lets Gai leave without a word. He thinks Gai’s probably going to put Naruto to bed. He finally sets the photograph down back on the desk. The desk is a little messy - still covered in scrolls, teleportation jutsu research of some sort probably, or seals, knowing Kushina. But underneath the pile, there’s a corner of a book. Kakashi carefully pulls it out from underneath the papers covering it.

_The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi._

He laughs a little to himself, turning it over in his hands. The inside is signed. _Jiraiya_. Of course. _This_ is the book that Naruto’s named after, he realizes. He sits down at the desk then, opening the book to the first page. He thinks Gai won’t mind if he’s a little late to go to sleep tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will go up on May 30 _and_ by then I hope to have a final chapter count. For... this part, perhaps. :3 
> 
> OH, and if you haven't seen this before, please go to youtube and search for 一升餅 (or "issho mochi" which brings up fewer results) to watch some adorable videos of children falling over while carrying mochi on their backs. XD You're welcome.
> 
> Thank you for reading!!


	27. Chapter 27

One afternoon, a few weeks after Naruto’s first birthday, Gai leaves on another long-term mission. This time he’s going to be gone for around three weeks, and this time, Naruto spends most of the first evening absolutely sobbing. Kakashi desperately tries to find something to cheer the kid up. He even summons the pack, but the dogs end up anxiously pacing around the room, and Kakashi dismisses them all but Pakkun after a few minutes.

Pakkun sits on the couch next to Kakashi who is holding a sniffling Naruto and shakes his head. “Sorry boss. There’s nothing we can do for him,” he says.

Kakashi nods, glumly. Naruto’s never reacted like this before, but Kakashi thinks it’s been a long time since Gai was gone for more than an hour or two. Naruto somehow seems to know that it’s going to be a longer trip this time.

The kid finally sobs himself to sleep later that night after a rough evening, but Kakashi can’t manage to find rest himself. He lays awake next to the boy, heart beating quicker than usual, thinking about how many nights they have left until Gai’s return. The apartment feels quieter, somehow, even though he knows they would all usually be asleep at this time anyways. The futon seems too empty without Gai on the other side of Naruto.

Morning comes far too soon, and it isn’t much better.

Naruto immediately starts sobbing again when he realizes Gai’s not there to feed him breakfast. Kakashi struggles to make something for himself while simultaneously trying to shove food into the kid, but Naruto spits most of it out, tears streaming down his face. He looks so absolutely heartbroken that Kakashi can’t find it in himself to feel annoyed.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Kakashi says, and he starts feeling a little panicked. He’s going to the Police Academy to help with training before Hokage Guard duty. He’s supposed to take Naruto to Hiromi’s but he feels bad leaving the kid with her today. He scrubs a hand over his face, unsure, but shakes his head. Surely Hiromi will be able to help. Maybe seeing Sasuke will cheer the boy up.

Naruto’s calmed down by the time he’s strapped to Kakashi’s chest, and he’s hiccuping a bit, but Kakashi thinks they’re both going to survive the journey to Hiromi’s. He makes it almost halfway out of the apartment before the cool fall air hits the bottom part of his face that’s _never_ exposed to outside elements anymore, and he stops in shock. He’s not even in his full jounin gear, he realizes abruptly, and turns around before anyone can see him.

They’re late getting to Hiromi’s. 

“Oh, you poor thing,” Hiromi says, when she sees Naruto, but Kakashi feels oddly like she’s talking to him, too. His face heats up at the thought, but he hands Naruto over to Hiromi, who coos softly at his tear-streaked face. Sasuke’s already there, as well, looking at Naruto curiously. He’s probably never seen the kid cry before, Kakashi thinks, although he’s sure it’s an exaggeration. Naruto’s cried plenty of times over the past year, but he seems especially upset today.

In fact, Naruto calms momentarily in Hiromi’s arms, but as soon as Kakashi starts to leave, Naruto immediately starts crying again. Hiromi insists that Kakashi leave anyways.

“He’ll be okay with me, today,” she reassures Kakashi, and he’s not sure what else to do, so he makes his apologies and body-flickers to the Police Academy. The desk officer raises an eyebrow at him, and he doesn’t even bother to try to find an excuse for his lateness. 

Genma’s started training the rookies without him. He gives Kakashi a look that promises that Kakashi will have some explaining to do when they’re done, but by now, Kakashi’s pretty sure the day can’t get any worse. He just shrugs, hoping to avoid the confrontation.

The day gets worse. 

Genma corners Kakashi before he can skip out, off to check on Naruto before he goes to Hokage duty. He knows it’s not entirely necessary to drop in on Naruto, but… given the events of this morning and last night, he wants to see how the little guy is holding up.

Genma’s waiting for him before he can so much as body-flicker away. 

“Man, what’s gotten into you?” Genma asks, and Kakashi just shrugs at him.

“Naruto…” he says, trailing off, and Genma looks concerned for a moment.

“The kid’s just having a rough day today,” Kakashi admits, sighing, and Genma’s eyes widen.

“Naruto? Having a bad day?” he asks, raising an eyebrow.

Kakashi shrugs again. “He’s really upset this time,” he says.

“Ahh, that’s right,” Genma says suddenly, a knowing look crossing his face. “Gai’s gone on a mission for a while, isn’t he?”

Kakashi nods, feeling antsy to get back to the kid.

Genma laughs outright at him and shakes his head. “Man you’ve got it _bad_ ,” he says, and Kakashi glares at him.

“I wish you’d stop saying that,” Kakashi grates out, and gestures vaguely in the direction of Hiromi’s. “Anyways, I’ve got to go.” 

Genma’s mouth twitches up into a smile. “Sure thing, Hatake. Sure thing.”

Kakashi leaves before he gives into the impulse to reply. Some things aren’t worth it, he thinks. 

\---

“Why, hello!” Hiromi says when she opens the door, the surprise evident in her voice. “You’re back a bit early today, aren’t you?”

Kakashi nods feeling slightly embarrassed about the whole thing now, especially considering the completely happy and smiling child in Hiromi’s arms. “I still have Guard duty today,” he admits, and Naruto giggles loudly, reaching for Kakashi. Hiromi hands him over as she invites Kakashi in for a few minutes.

“He’s been absolutely fine,” she reassures him, and Kakashi can see that plainly, which is completely puzzling given the morning they both had. Hiromi watches them both, mouth pressed together as if she’s hesitating to say something further.

“But?” Kakashi prompts, sure there has to be more to it. The Naruto in his arms, cheerfully sticking his fingers under the edges of Kakashi’s mask, seems completely unlike the Naruto he left earlier.

“Well…” Hiromi hedges. She looks away for a moment but seems to make a decision. 

“Sometimes kids pick up on things,” she begins, and Kakashi stares at her blankly. 

Hiromi waves her hand at him vaguely, and a sinking feeling starts deep in his stomach. 

“I’m just thinking maybe it’s hard on you,” she continues in a rush. “With Gai gone and all,” she says. “Naruto can probably tell, you know?”

Kakashi nods slowly. She’s... not wrong, he thinks, and maybe it’s a little easier hearing something like this from her than from Genma. She’s so earnest about the whole thing. He sighs in resignation.

“So, I’m upsetting him,” Kakashi says blandly, and Hiromi quickly shakes her head.

“No, no, it’s okay,” she says. “It’s hard when your partner can’t be there with you,” she continues. “Naruto probably misses Gai, too.” 

She smiles at him brightly, and Kakashi finds himself nearly nodding in agreement as he tries to pry Naruto’s fist from his mask before he replays her statement over again in his mind. 

“Partner?” he repeats, suddenly unsure of what she was saying after all. Naruto tugging at his mask is distracting and having a busy toddler makes him reconsider wearing the thing at all sometimes.

Hiromi looks mildly confused, “I -” she starts, but seems to think better of it. “Excuse me,” she says then, suddenly too formal. “I mean, are you not?”

“Am I not what?” Kakashi asks, and he thinks he really lost the thread of the conversation somewhere, but Hiromi looks more confused than he does. 

“Well, I just thought,” Hiromi says, and then clears her throat. Her face is dusting with pink. “I mean, a lot of people assumed that you and Gai are _together_.” She gestures again, and it’s a helpless sort of gesture that people make when they’re not sure how to say something. “Partners, that is,” she says again finally, repeating the word. “Maybe not married though?”

And the question at the end of her statement is the most confusing aspect of it all, because Kakashi never imagined that anyone would think that - and what does she mean by _a lot of people_? Sure, Genma gets on him about this - whatever it is - but that’s just Genma...

His face instantly heats up, and he shakes his head quickly, “Oh no no no… It’s not like that at all,” he says, but it’s hard to be anywhere near convincing when Naruto’s moved on to grabbing at his hair.  

“I’m so sorry for assuming!” Hiromi says suddenly, and he thinks her face is probably about as red as his must be now. He thinks maybe they’ll laugh the whole situation off, but she continues, looking determined.

“I mean, well, you _are_ raising a child together after all,” she says, and Kakashi feels that sinking feeling again. Something inevitable that he hadn’t really considered running through him like a heavy weight.

“Ah,” Kakashi says, “I suppose we are.” And he has no idea how to reply, because he really has been thinking of Gai like that more recently, but to think -

Hiromi shakes her head, laughing. “I’m really very sorry,” she says. “And all this time... It’s funny when you think about it.”

“A lot of people?” Kakashi asks then, and Hiromi nods solemnly, although her eyes are still dancing with laughter. Not unkind, at least. And not teasing like Genma.

“I’d be surprised if it wasn’t at least half the village,” she admits, and Kakashi’s not sure how this ranks on the scale of bad days, but he’s starting to think that, at the very least, this is one of the weirdest. He leaves the happy, cheerful Naruto with Hiromi. He has just enough time before Hokage Guard duty to track down the one person he could possibly ask about this situation might give him a more serious answer than Genma.

\---

Asuma’s outside the dango shop, as he usually seems to be in the afternoon when he’s in the village. Probably waiting for Kurenai, Kakashi thinks. He doesn’t see Kurenai around anywhere, though, so before she can appear or anything else can happen, he says, “Does the village think that Gai and I are -”

But he stops short, because he’s not even sure how to finish the sentence. Asuma gives him a dry look. “I don’t even know what!” Kakashi says, nearly ready to throw his hands in the air if he had any less dignity. 

“I don’t know what he sees in you,” Asuma says, and he makes a motion as if he’s going to put his cigarette out, but thinks better of it. He shrugs.

Kakashi just stares at Asuma then, thinking about how Asuma is one of Gai’s _best_ friends, and that he probably knows things that even Kakashi doesn’t know. Very specific things. 

“You -,” Kakashi says, pausing and gathering his wits. “ _He doesn’t_ ,” he tries, but it’s sort of hopeless, really, and Asuma just stares at him as if he’s been missing the whole picture, and Kakashi realizes that maybe he _has_ been missing the picture.

“Doesn’t what?” Asuma asks, point blank, raising an eyebrow and shaking his head. 

Kakashi wills Asuma to not make him say this out loud, in front of the dango shop of all places, but Asuma doesn’t continue. Kakashi lets out a sound that’s mostly a sigh.This is _not_ appropriate to talk about in broad daylight where anyone in the village could be walking by.  


“He doesn’t _see me like that_ ,” he says finally, fully mortified and ready for this whole thing to be said and done with. Asuma laughs out loud, then, the sound shocking Kakashi in it’s suddenness.  


“Man, he’s been into you for _years_ ,” Asuma says and takes a drag on his cigarette, releasing the smoke and watching it float up into the sky. He shakes his head again. “I can’t believe I’m the one telling you this.”

“But, we’re rivals,” Kakashi replies, desperate to cling on to this last thing, and Asuma just chuckles at him again.

“It’s a really fucking weird rivalry,” Asuma counters, and finally puts out his cigarette. “Man, I think Kurenai won a bet or something,” he continues, and Kakashi points at him.

“But you - and her -”

Asuma smiles at Kakashi, and it’s a little menacing, “Ah, that’s a different story, Hatake.”

“Anyways, I’m not the one who told you,” Asuma continues, and Kakashi shakes his head. He doesn’t even know who he’d tell. He mutters a semi-stunned thanks, and leaves Asuma waiting in front of the dango shop, not sure what else to do other than continue on with his day.  


\---

Kakashi puts the conversations with Hiromi and Asuma out of his mind while he’s on Guard duty. Well, mostly. It’s hard not to think about it, but he _is_ a professional. Anyways, he tries to forget about the whole thing for now, but, of course, the moment he steps out of the Administration building, he sees Genma, all-too-conveniently located along Kakashi’s route home. And Genma’s smirking at Kakashi like he knows something Kakashi doesn’t. Asuma. That traitor.

“How’s Naruto?” Genma asks. And no, Kakashi decides, it was probably _Kurenai_. Asuma told Kurenai who told Genma. This is why he’s never wanted friends.

Genma’s still waiting for a reply, but Kakashi doesn’t feel like dancing around the topic that Genma’s been hinting at for months now and that everyone else has decided to spring on him today. “Are Gai and I _dating_?” he asks, instead.

“You’re raising a child together,” Genma says flatly, as if that’s an answer.  


“But he -” Kakashi says, and Genma shakes his head.

“No way, man. You’re not getting out of this one. You’re _raising a child together_ ,” he repeats.

Kakashi can still see that moment - in the haze of that first day with Naruto - where Gai formally offered his assistance in front of the Hokage. He’s never been sure why Gai did it. He’s never _really_ understood why Gai puts up with him at all - why Gai stays by his side through everything. He’s wondered, but never questioned it to the logical conclusion. 

“Half the jounin think you’re married,” Genma adds, completely unhelpful.

“But we’re not -” Kakashi tries, and he knows that it’s useless at this point.

“You might as well be,” Genma says with a smirk, and Kakashi feels like sinking into the ground. So much for his cold-hearted reputation. But now maybe he understands some of the whispers around the village.

“Come on,” Genma says, cheerfully. “Let’s go pick up the kid.” He claps Kakashi on the back in an overly friendly manner, reminiscent of Gai. “I’ll watch him while you have your identity crisis.”

Kakashi would like to kick Genma or something, but really it’s nice of him to offer, so Kakashi nods instead, completely overwhelmed by the whole thing and follows along as they go back to Hiromi’s to pick up Naruto.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised.... an updated chapter count. I'm sure you can see where this is heading. :3 
> 
> To be clear - I'd love to continue writing in the Raising Naruto world after the next chapter is posted, _but_ I'm currently having a tough time deciding on an outline since the canon series starts getting darker and more complicated as it goes along. Granted, I obviously don't care all that much about canon... ^^;; 
> 
> Anyways, what would you like to see out of a Raising Naruto part 2 - Would a part 2 be interesting? Should it have an actual plot? Or perhaps just more adorable slice of life? No promises, but free to leave suggestions below or message me on my (nearly empty) tumblr - http://pastaafterdark.tumblr.com/
> 
> Thank you for reading, and the conclusion in Chapter 28 will be posted on June 13!


	28. Chapter 28

Kakashi manages to avoid Kurenai for nearly a week before she finally shows up at the apartment, glaring at him.

“Spill it, Kakashi,” she says, as she pushes her way in to see Naruto, but Kakashi’s back to not wanting to talk about it. And it seems like nearly everyone in the village knows what it is, which is possibly part of the problem.

Having such a realization and then having to wait nearly three more weeks to do anything about it has left Kakashi feeling sort of uncertain about the whole thing, but maybe still a bit… optimistic. Optimism is suspect at best, Kakashi thinks, and at the very least, it’s a highly unusual experience for him.  


Perhaps, it’s not such a terrible thing though. In fact, that fateful evening when Genma and Kakashi picked Naruto up from Hiromi’s, Naruto’s mood had drastically improved, and it seemed to stay that way all week. Kakashi has to admit that it probably has something to do with his own new attitude. 

Back to the problem at hand, Kakashi just shrugs at Kurenai, giving her a bland look. “Maa, I’m sure I don’t know what you’re referring to,” he says, and she raises an eyebrow at him. 

Naruto’s eyes light up the moment he sees Kurenai, though, and Kurenai lifts Naruto into the air, saying hello to him happily. She continues glaring at Kakashi over Naruto’s head. Itachi and her would probably get along really well, he thinks. He makes a note to never let them train together…

“So what are you going to do about it?” she asks, ignoring his attempts to dodge her line of questioning. She sets Naruto back down on the ground again, and he pulls himself up into a stand using her hand, bouncing a few times in place.

And that’s… Well, that’s really the question of the hour. It’s what everyone wants to know. Genma and Asuma have both already asked him the same thing. Several times that week, in fact. Mikoto, too, and Sage knows where she heard it from. Probably from Genma, actually, when he thinks about it. They’re terrible. All of them.

Kakashi shrugs, not wanting to commit to an answer. What _is_ he supposed to do, after all, with this new-found knowledge? It seems like most of the population of Konoha already has their own conclusion about it. He still hasn’t decided. He keeps turning it over and over in his mind like something precious. It’s somehow earth-shattering and entirely unsurprising at the same time. _Of course_ Gai likes him. And, Asuma’s right, after all. Kakashi’s always thought their rivalry was a bit weird around the edges, but he shrugged it off as being something so essentially _Gai_ that it didn’t really matter to him.

Looking back....

Well, looking back, it’s easy to see why it didn’t matter. Gai’s always overly enthusiastic about everything he does - why wouldn’t their rivalry be the same? Why wouldn’t he upend his entire life, any plans he might have had of his own, to help Kakashi raise the Fourth Hokage’s child, who just so happens to also contain a tailed-beast that nearly destroyed Konoha a little over a year ago? It’s just the sort of thing that Gai does, or at least that’s what Kakashi’s always thought. But now... Kakashi feels his face heating under Kurenai’s curious gaze, and she smiles in that knowing way of hers. She’s still holding Naruto’s hand, and he tugs her towards one of his favorite toys. 

“Well, he’ll be back soon,” is all she says after that, and she looks a bit sympathetic even. Kakashi sighs in resignation and thinks, not for the first time, that it’s not soon enough.

\---

Curiously, Kurenai keeps Kakashi and Naruto company over the next few weeks, stopping by every now and then to chat. She doesn’t even pry all that much anymore, and Naruto loves the attention, so Kakashi can’t complain about it. 

A few days before Gai’s due to return from his mission, Kurenai finally cons Kakashi into joining her and Asuma for dango with Genma. Mostly because the trio wants to see Naruto attempt to eat dango. It’s a good enough reason, Kakashi supposes, and he can’t prevent the kid from liking something horrible, just because he doesn’t, so he goes along with the plan. Naruto’s a good shield, anyways, and he’s precocious enough now to know when he’s the center of attention. Kakashi’s pretty sure he can get away with letting Naruto run the show, and he almost does until they have an unexpected visitor.

Kakashi can _feel_ the moment that Gai enters the dango shop. The door opens and Gai’s familiar laugh runs along his nerves like an electric shock. Genma smirks at him from across the table, and Kakashi feels himself standing without processing the intention to do so.

He turns around, and Gai’s there, in all of his glory - still dirty from the road, of course, because Gai probably ran the entire way back. Kakashi has a moment to wonder why Gai’s here at all, in the dango shop, and if Gai came looking for them when he didn’t find them at the apartment. He has a moment to think about a lot of things, but Gai’s here now, and Kakashi finds himself unable to think of anything else at all.

“You,” he says, and his voice feels like it’s catching at the back of his throat.

“Why hello, my eternal rival!” Gai replies, jovially, his smile huge and bright, like it always is. “It’s good to see you and Naruto again.”

Kakashi feels tears forming at the corner of his eyes, and he laughs, startling Gai into laughing again as well. 

“What’s wrong?” Gai asks, and Kakashi shakes his head. This isn’t how he thought this would play out. They’re in the middle of the dango shop, and there are other customers here. Villagers, even. But Kakashi can’t bring himself to care anymore. 

“Gai,” Kakashi says, his voice rough. “How long are you planning on staying here, with me and Naruto?” 

Gai looks at him in confusion, but answers boldly, as he always does. “For as long as you need me, Kakashi!” 

Kakashi’s stepping forward then, moving again without realizing it at first, and when he’s close enough, he pulls the other man into a hug. He hears Kurenai laughing in delight behind them. Gai’s body tenses before he reciprocates, but when he hugs Kakashi back, the force of his affection nearly crushes Kakashi.

”Ah, it felt like you were gone for such a long time this time,” Kakashi says, and he can’t bring himself to say the thing he wants to say. The thing he should probably say. It’s been so many years, he realizes. How do you express something that you’ve felt for years but never realized it? And they are in the dango shop, after all. 

“It always feels like a long time, Kakashi,” Gai says in return, and he doesn’t let go.

Someone clears their throat behind them, and Kakashi nearly pulls back, but Gai’s solid hold prevents him from moving. 

“You guys getting married then?” Asuma drawls from behind him, and Kakashi feels heat crawl along his cheeks. Gai chuckles, sweeping Kakashi up into a bridal style carriage hold, and Kakashi feels like this is the least dignified thing that’s ever happened to him, but he can’t seem to care. 

“If Gai will have me,” Kakashi manages, and Gai laughs out loud at that. 

“Of course, my eternal rival,” Gai replies. 

Genma looks like he nearly swallowed the dumpling stick in his hand, and he pulls it away. “Wait, really?” he asks. “Mikoto’s going to have a fit.”

Kakashi feels like he should protest more about this situation, but then Gai’s carrying him out of the dango shop, and the trio behind them are all laughing. He thinks he hears a wolf-whistle from one of the villagers. Naruto’s shrieking with delight at the commotion. Kakashi supposes it’s okay to leave Naruto with the other jounin for now. 

It’s been a long year, and this will be a strange new turn in their lives, but Kakashi thinks he will enjoy the challenge, especially with his eternal rival at his side.

_\--- 5 YEARS LATER ---_

Kakashi perks up at the sound of opening Academy doors, and sets the latest copy of Icha Icha aside. He peers through the foliage that shields his current hiding spot outside of the Academy training grounds. “Target acquired,” he whispers, and his faithful, green-spandex-clad mission partner nods next to him, giving him a grin and a thumbs up.

“Yosh!” Gai whispers back in what most people would not consider to be a whisper, unable to control a fine tremor of excitement. Kakashi privately thinks that Gai is not very suited to recon missions, as he seems to be in constant need of activity, but they can work on this at another time.

The children are just now running from the building in a disorderly fashion, chattering loudly amongst each other, high voices conveying their excitement about the afternoon’s training session. The lone hostile - a slightly bedraggled-looking chuunin by the name of Umino Iruka - appears behind them, shouting out orders that are mostly unintelligible at Kakashi and Gai’s current distance. Kakashi thinks next time he might bring along Pakkun to help with information gathering in this regard. Yes. That would do nicely.

Their primary target is one especially loud and smiling Academy student, bright yellow hair clearly visible among all of the other students. He’s also wearing that damn orange jumpsuit that Kakashi can’t seem to get him to part with. In fact, he’s worn it every day this week so far, and Kakashi can’t convince him to try anything else. Gai’s no help in that regard either. They seem to have similar fashion choices unfortunately, Kakashi thinks, frowning to himself at his terrible luck. 

As the training begins, Kakashi keeps a keen eye on Naruto’s technique, watching with barely concealed pride. It looks like Naruto’s got quite a few of the major clans’ kids in his class this year, so he’s competing with the best of the lot. Kakashi easily spots the Akimichi boy, the Yamanaka girl who’s talking with another pink-haired girl, and the jounin commander Shikaku’s son - the next generation of Ino-Shika-Chou right there. There’s also Inuzuka Hana’s younger brother with a fluffy white puppy on his head, a Hyuuga girl who’s shyly standing off at the edge of the group, and an Aburame as well. But Naruto’s up against his best friend Sasuke, and even against him, Naruto fights spectacularly. Kakashi grudgingly admits that those morning running handstands around Konoha and all of the rest of the taijutsu training with Gai are probably doing something good for the boy. He looks over to the other man in question, unsurprised to find him weeping tears of joy, and shakes his head in resignation, suppressing a smile under his mask. It’s been a long five years, but they really do have a lot to be proud of. 

That terrible night that changed Konoha forever - the night that the Fourth died, and Kushina handed Naruto to Kakashi and told him to look after the boy - Kakashi doesn’t know how he would’ve lived through that experience if not for Gai and Naruto. It hasn’t been easy, but somehow they’ve all made it this far - Naruto’s first week of Ninja Academy. Kakashi thinks Kushina and Minato would be proud of their son, and although Kakashi misses his sensei and his own teammates, he can’t imagine the past five years without the kid around. Somehow, through it all, they’ve made it work. 

As he turns his focus back to the sparring matches, he scans the students again, having lost sight of Naruto. He relaxes a bit when he sees that Naruto’s just helping the Hyuuga girl up after her own spar. But where’s the chuunin sensei? He doesn’t see Iruka anywhere, which throws up a little warning bell in the back of his mind. 

“Position compromised,” Gai whispers hurriedly, and Kakashi finally spots Iruka, quickly approaching their hiding spot with an irritated look on his face. 

“Run,” Kakashi says, and Gai nods gravely. 

Kakashi doesn’t think the Hokage is going to accept any more excuses this week, after they were already caught several days prior. Maybe Kakashi’s lost some of his edge over the years if a highly irritated chuunin-sensei can drag him into the Hokage’s office by his ear. Their little brat spotted them suspiciously quickly, though, and ran over, shrieking, to the exact location where Kakashi and Gai had been covertly keeping tabs on the first year students’ training. Or “lurking” as Iruka called it, among the other things that he yelled, likely censored for the students.

This time, neither of them look back as they make their escape, and Kakashi feels his mouth tilting up into a wide grin at the laughter of the Academy students in the distance. Gai meets his eye with a wink and a smile of his own. He’s practically sparkling in the afternoon sunlight. 

They’ve both been spotted by the rest of the class, it seems, and Naruto will likely tell them all about it later this evening. Iruka will give up eventually, and, anyways, Kakashi got to see what he wanted to see: Naruto, already impossibly too big and too bright, smiling happily with his classmates. Whatever else might happen over the next few years, Kakashi thinks Kushina would be happy with the results of her final mission for him – raising Naruto. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: It's really cheesy to end the fanfic with the _title_ of the fanfic.  
>  Also Me: This is my life. These are my choices. XD
> 
> Seriously though, this has been such a fantastic journey. Thank you to everyone for all of your support and especially to those who endured the fic while it was posting in-progress and left such encouraging comments and feedback along the way. <3 
> 
> As of the post date on this chapter, I don't have an ETA on a Part 2, but I have a few ideas floating around. If you'd like to get updates or just generally say hi, you can find me on Tumblr at [pastaafterdark.tumblr.com](http://pastaafterdark.tumblr.com) or [pastacritter.tumblr.com](http://pastacritter.tumblr.com).
> 
> Update from 6/14: I've made my decision XD Before anything new in the Raising Naruto universe, I'm actually going to continue working on a different Naruto AU that I started as a side project when I felt stumped on this fic. So if you're interested in something a little different (a Gaara and Naruto-centric fusion AU, Gen, maybe pre-slash if you squint)... surprise! I couldn't help myself and posted Chapter 1 over at [Dreams of Leaves and Sand](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14936417/chapters/34604963). ^^;;;


End file.
